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Fewer teens in B.C. having sex
Friday, 18 July 2008 - 12:45pm
Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, research director at the McCreary Centre Society and an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of nursing, said there’s a misconception amongst parents and kids alike about how often teens are having sex.
“They all seem to think that more youth are having sex at younger and younger ages but, in fact, that’s not what we’re finding,” she said yesterday.
“They’re waiting longer, and when they do have sex, they’re more likely to take steps to protect their health.”
In 2003, 23 percent of boys said they’d had sex, down from 34 percent in 1992. Among girls, 24 percent said they’d had intercourse, down from 29 percent.
The number of teens who reported having sex before age 14 declined by almost half, which is likely due in part to declines in sexual abuse, the study says.
While nationwide figures aren’t available (B.C. is the only province that has data going back to the early 1990s), Saewyc said there’s been a drop in teen pregnancy rates across Canada that corresponds with the study’s findings.
“Statistics Canada has been showing declining births among adolescents since 1994 and their declines match the trends that we see,” she noted.
The study found 87 percent of teens who reported being sexually active in 2003 used effective methods of birth control, up by about 20 percent from a decade earlier.
And concerns about younger teens lacking the maturity to engage in safe sex may be unfounded, as the study says the youngest girls who were sexually active reported the highest prevalence of condom use.
The data was compiled by researchers from the McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization that studies youth health issues.
Students in Grades 7-12 across the province were interviewed by public health nurses in 1992, 1998, and 2003. Students filled in an anonymous form that asked a range of health-related questions.
The report was released Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.
VANCOUVER—A survey of British Columbia teenagers may challenge the perception that teens are engaging in risky sexual behaviours at younger ages.
The latest B.C. Adolescent Health Survey found the number of teens who say they’ve had sex dropped by a third between 1992 and 2003.
“They all seem to think that more youth are having sex at younger and younger ages but, in fact, that’s not what we’re finding,” she said yesterday.
“They’re waiting longer, and when they do have sex, they’re more likely to take steps to protect their health.”
In 2003, 23 percent of boys said they’d had sex, down from 34 percent in 1992. Among girls, 24 percent said they’d had intercourse, down from 29 percent.
The number of teens who reported having sex before age 14 declined by almost half, which is likely due in part to declines in sexual abuse, the study says.
While nationwide figures aren’t available (B.C. is the only province that has data going back to the early 1990s), Saewyc said there’s been a drop in teen pregnancy rates across Canada that corresponds with the study’s findings.
“Statistics Canada has been showing declining births among adolescents since 1994 and their declines match the trends that we see,” she noted.
The study found 87 percent of teens who reported being sexually active in 2003 used effective methods of birth control, up by about 20 percent from a decade earlier.
And concerns about younger teens lacking the maturity to engage in safe sex may be unfounded, as the study says the youngest girls who were sexually active reported the highest prevalence of condom use.
The data was compiled by researchers from the McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization that studies youth health issues.
Students in Grades 7-12 across the province were interviewed by public health nurses in 1992, 1998, and 2003. Students filled in an anonymous form that asked a range of health-related questions.
The report was released Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.