Sexual Activity among Students

Trends in Risky Sexual Behavior among High School Students in the U.S.
Roughly 54% of high school students in the U.S. are estimated to be sexually active, according to the study by MMWR Weekly (1992). The trend is upward in character, meaning that more and more students are engaging in sexual behavior over the past several decades. This means that more than half of high school students are sexually active and considering that this data is more than a decade old, and judging by the character of the trend, it stands to reason that the percentage has only increased in the intervening years. This is problematic because it puts students at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and other risk-related results. The study was conducted among over 11,000 students among all 50 students, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The data was self-reported and therefore may not be entirely representative of the actual percentage of students engaging in sexual behavior, as some students may not feel inclined to report their experiences one way or another. This study was presented in 1992 and shows the upward trend in sexual activity among high school teens from the prior decade.
However, as MMWR Weekly (2002) shows, the percentage of high school students who report multiple sex partners in the decade of 1991 to 2001 actually decreased. One explanation for the discrepancy could be the sample or the sample size that was used to obtain data. Samples if they are not truly representative of the whole can skew results one way or the other. So it is important to consider where samples are coming from and how they are being used.
Likewise, the manner in which data is collected and analyzed can also play a part in how results are viewed. If data is obtained through self-reporting methods—i.e., students report the information themselves, this could lead to variations depending upon how truthful or open students feel like being. Regardless of the method, obtaining data of this nature from high school students can be difficult as there is not a clear way to validate the quantitative data obtained from the source.
Regardless, the data obtained and presented by MMWR Weekly (2002) shows that for the decade 1991 to 2001, “the prevalence of sexual experience decreased 16% among high school students” and that “the prevalence of multiple sex partners decreased 24%” (p. 2). These numbers show a significant decline in the percentage of students engaging in sexual behavior in their high school years—but what caused the drop in sexual activity throughout the 1990s is unknown.
Some possible reasons for changes in sexual activity among American teenagers can be the fact that more education and awareness about the risks of sexual behavior is being communicated to American teens. The more that they are educated about sexual risks, the less likely they may be to engage in risky sexual behavior. However, there tends to be other issues as well that can impact sexual risk taking, such as home life, stressors, appetite for risk, cultural and peer influences, and so on (Lansford, Dodge, Fontaine et al., 2014). There could also be a degree of variations in the culture itself, so that there is less emphasis placed on the idea of experimenting sexually and more emphasis placed on the idea of abstinence or using prophylactics during sex. There are, in short, a number of various factors that could play a part in the changes of trends among teens regarding sexual behavior.
Another variable could be the climate in which teens in the 1990s were exposed to: in the 1960s and 1970s there was more emphasis in the counter-culture movement, which promoted sexual liberation. But by the 1990s, the scare of AIDS had already come and many people were more hesitant to engage in sexual risk-taking especially with random people.
Students were also dealing with a skeptical environment in the 1990s. The Generation X students were coming of age and going into adulthood. That Generation is known as being less optimistic and more skeptical of their culture, their environment, the institutions around them and their opportunities going forward. It could be that their generational outlook impacted their attitudes regarding sexual activity and/or even engaging truthfully in self-reported studies like this one published by MMWR Weekly (2002). It could also be that this generation was simply more aware of the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, AIDS and other problems that stem from risky sexual behavior.
In conclusion, the increase in sexual activity among high school students throughout the 1980s could be an extension of the sexual liberation that was promoted throughout the prior two decades. However, with the outbreak of AIDS and HIV awareness promoted later on, this could explain the reason that there was a decrease in sexual activity among high school students in the 1990s. As more educational programs were implemented and sex education became a staple of the classroom throughout American high schools, more students were learning about the risks of sexual activity and were apparently, if the self-reported data is reliable, taking the recommendations of the classroom to heart. The culture of the 1990s and the attitudes of the Generation X students as they entered into adulthood could also play a part in how the students approached the subject of sex and sexuality.
References
Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Fontaine, R. G., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2014). Peer
rejection, affiliation with deviant peers, delinquency, and risky sexual behavior. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(10), 1742-1751.
MMWR Weekly. (1992). Sexual behavior among high school students.
MMWR Weekly. (2002). Trends in sexual risk behaviors among high school students.