Move Over, 'Sexting'

Just when it seemed that the tidal wave of “sexting” stories in the media would soon subside, there’s a troubling new study that reveals that some middle schoolers are engaging in behavior that's much riskier than texting naughty cell phone photos.

Researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health examined sexual risk behaviors among middle school students in a large southeastern U.S. urban public school district and found that by age 12, 12 percent of students had already engaged in vaginal sex, 7.9 percent in oral sex, 6.5 percent in anal sex and 4 percent in all three types of intercourse.

"A common misperception among adolescents is that oral or anal intercourse is not as risky for STD transmission," said study leader Christine Markham, Ph.D., in a statement. "But transmission of non-viral and viral STDs can occur through all three types of intercourse when condoms are not used."

While the majority of seventh graders in the study were not sexually active, those in the 12 percent are putting themselves at risk for pregnancy and diseases, including HPV, which is linked to cancers of the cervix, throat and anus. The study found one-third of sexually active students reported engaging in vaginal or anal sex without a condom within the past three months, and one-fourth had four or more partners. The more experienced students in all three types of intercourse were more likely to be male and African-American.

"We need to develop prevention programs that address the needs of students who are not yet sexually active in order to promote skills and attitudes to help them wait until they are older to have sex," said Markham. "And we need to provide skills and knowledge related to condoms and contraception for youth who are already sexually active." 

The prevalence of STDs among teens and young adults underscores the need for comprehensive sex education, especially among minority populations. In 2000, youth between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for 9.1 million, or 48 percent, of all new STD cases, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although black teens represent only 17 percent of U.S. teenagers, they account for 70 percent of HIV/AIDS cases reported among their age group. "We need more research to develop effective interventions, in particular for youth of color living in underserved areas," Markham said in a statement.

These findings, coupled with a report in The Washington Post that the teen birth rate has risen for the second consecutive year, provide new evidence that abstinence-only education is ineffective and that the $162 million in federal funding spent annually to support those programs perhaps ought to be shifted to those that promote safer sex practices and the effective use of contraceptives.