Study Shows CA Teens Perceive Sexual Intercourse and Oral Sex as "Abstinence"
96% of California public schools teach comprehensive sex education
Washington, DC (November 1, 2007) — The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) applauds the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation for its detailed study of how teens interpret abstinence and sexual activity. The report appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Children ages 12 to 16 from throughout California were asked their perceptions on sexual behaviors. According to the study, 12 percent of the children interviewed believed that they were abstinent if they were engaging in sexual [vaginal] intercourse. Anal sex was considered abstaining for 14 percent of the respondents. More than 44 percent consider genital touching an abstinent behavior, with 33 percent believing oral sex constituted abstinence.
"Unfortunately, this information is not surprising, given the fact that few California students receive abstinence education. If they did, they would have a clear definition of abstinence. Any sexual activity puts a teen at risk, and abstinence education programs are very clear about that fact,” said Valerie Huber, Executive Director, NAEA. "In California, 96 percent of schools teach comprehensive sex education, and according to a recent report in the California Journal of Health Promotion, there has been 1.1 million new STD cases reported in Californians ages 15 to 24. A careful review of the most popular comprehensive sex education curricula reveals that it leaves definitions for abstinence up to the discretion of the individual student. It is not surprising that teens loosely define the term, and end up acquiring an STD as a result."
In June, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a report saying comprehensive sex education spends little time promoting the value of abstinence, but does teach children as young as 13 that "showering together" and "cuddling naked" are appropriate "abstinence" activities. That same HHS report noted that commonly used comprehensive sex education programs have little or no effect on delaying the onset of a teen's sexual behavior.
"When working with adolescents, it is important to specifically define what we mean by sexual behaviors to ensure a common understanding, " said Dr. Melina Bersamin, Ph.D., lead study author. "This applies to doctors taking sexual histories, instructors delivering sex education or abstinence programs to youth, and to scientists conducting research."
"Abstinence education teaches that avoiding sexual activity is the only effective protection from all risk," says Huber. "NAEA is hopeful that the results of this study will reveal more clearly the need that teens deserve a clear, consistent health message in the classroom. That is what abstinence education provides!"
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HHS Study: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/abstinence/06122007-153424.PDF
About NAEA:
The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) is comprised of leading abstinence educators and supporters who represent 1.5 million children across the U.S.
For more information: http://www.abstinenceassociation.org
To schedule an interview with NAEA Executive Director Valerie Huber, please contact Patra Stephan at 202-248-5420 or 202-246-3822.
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Contact: Patra Stephan, Communications Director,
202.248.5420/
202-246-3822