Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2007

Posted on 10/6/08

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released findings from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which shows that positive changes in high school teens' sexual behavior and contraceptive use have stalled, and in fact might be moving backward. At present, nearly half of all teens have had sex and more than one-third are sexually active (that is, they have had sex in the past three months). Less than two-thirds of sexually active teens report using a condom the last time they had sex.

Almost half (48%) of high school teens say they have had sex in increase of 2% between 2005 and 2007. During the same time period, the proportion of high school teens who say they used a condom the last time they had sex decreased by 2%.

In South Carolina, much progress has been made but more work needs to be done. 55% of SC high school teens reported ever having sexual intercourse and 35% reported that they were currently sexually active (had sex with one or more people during the past three months). Among SC high school students who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, 62% used a condom during last sexual intercourse and 13% of students used birth control pills to prevent teen pregnancy before last sexual intercourse. This data is compared to the national rates of 62% and 16%, respectively.

According to this CDC report, 8% of high school teens say they have been forced to have sex and 10% report having experienced dating violence. These numbers remained the same between 2005 and 2007. In South Carolina, 9.1% of high school students reported ever being physically forced to have sexual intercourse against their will.

In response to this news from the CDC, Forrest Alton, Executive Director of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy released the following statement: "Increases in sexual behavior and decreases in contraceptive use among teens is a major cause for concern," said Alton. "We know that as a general rule teens in South Carolina take more sexual risk than their peers nationally. This information once again proves there is no time for complacency when it comes to protecting our most valuable resource - our children. The progress that has been made reducing rates of teen pregnancy cannot result in us letting our guard down. As a community, we must recommit ourselves to the young people of South Carolina and continue to invest in their well-being."

Please visit the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's website for a press release and fact sheet on this new data.

Please also visit the CDC's 2007 YRBS webpage. The survey is administered every two years to about 14,000 high school students nationwide and contains information on high school students' sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, and other measures.