WASHINGTON, July 12 (AP) — Fewer high school students were having sex and more were using condoms in 2005, according to the latest government report on the well-being of the nation’s children.
The teenage birthrate hit a record low.
More young people were finishing high school, and more tots were being read to.
It is good news on a number of crucial indicators of health, experts said about the report. It is scheduled to be released Friday by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a consortium of federal agencies that includes the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Census Bureau and the Administration for Children and Families.
“The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being,” said Edward J. Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. “The lower figure on teens having sex means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower.”
In 2005, 47 percent of high school students — 6.7 million — reported having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991. The rate of those who reported having had sex had remained the same since 2003.
Of those who reported having had sex during a three-month period in 2005, 63 percent — about 9 million — said they used condoms. That is an increase from the 46 percent reported in 1991.
The teenage birth rate in 2005, the report said, was 21 per 1,000 young women ages 15 to 17 — an all-time low. The rate in 1991 was 39 births per 1,000 teenagers.
“This is very good news,” Mr. Sondik said. “Young teen mothers and their babies are at a greater risk of both immediate and long-term difficulties.”
This from the New York Times.
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