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According to the most recent
findings from CDC’s health survey of high school students, far fewer black
students are engaging in risky sexual behavior than they were 20 years ago.
However, they still participate in risky behavior more often than white and Hispanic
students, according to findings released Tuesday at the 19th International AIDS
Conference.
Rates of risky behavior among all
teens have declined only slightly over the past two decades. In 2011, 46
percent reported ever having sex, compared with 54 percent in 1991. Fourteen
percent reported having four or more sex partners, down from 19 percent in
1991. For Hispanic students, the rates in both categories barely changed.
According to CDC, one possible
reason for the good news about black students could be sex education and HIV
prevention efforts: The proportion of black students taking these classes rose
to 87 percent in 2011 from 84 percent in 1991. Black students were the only
group to show a steady increase in those taking the classes. Overall, fewer US
high-school students have received instruction about HIV and sex due to budget
cutbacks in the past decade.
At 65 percent, sexually active black
students were the most likely to use a condom in their most recent sexual
encounter, though this rate dropped from 70 percent in 1999.
“The overall plateau among all
students is troubling,” Laura Kann, senior scientist at CDC, said at the AIDS
conference.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
