Context: Changes in the sexual behavior of teenagers can have a significant impact on levels of adolescent pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Understanding the role played by attitudes and educational efforts will provide critical prevention information.
Methods: Data on the sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, educational experiences and demographics of 2,087 never-married metropolitan males aged 17-19 from the 1979 National Survey of Young Men and the 1988 and 1995 waves of the National Survey of Adolescent Males were analyzed through multivariate methods to examine factors that predict sexual behavior as well as those that predict sexual attitudes.
Results: The percentage of males aged 17-19 who had ever had sex increased from 66% in 1979 to 76% in 1988 and then decreased to 68% in 1995. The frequency of sexual intercourse in the year prior to the survey increased significantly over time, although the lifetime number of sexual partners did not. Acceptance of premarital sex increased significantly from 1979 to 1988, then decreased significantly from 1988 to 1995. Over time, young men were increasingly likely to prefer having and supporting a baby to marriage, abortion or adoption as the resolution to a nonmarital pregnancy. Trends in attitudes were strongly associated with sexual behaviors, with more conservative attitudes predicting less sexual activity. AIDS education, which was nearly universal in 1995, was associated with decreased sexual activity, although not among black youths.
Conclusions: More conservative sexual attitudes and increased exposure to AIDS education are key predictors of decreased sexual activity among adolescent males. However, broader societal factors, such as fear of AIDS and increased awareness of problems associated with teenage pregnancy and STDs, may underlie both attitudinal and behavioral changes.
PIP: This study examined how attitudes about sex behavior and exposure to AIDS education have affected premarital sexual behavior among urban teenage (Black and non-Black) males aged 17-19 years in 1979, 1988, and 1995 in the US. Data were obtained from a 1979 National Survey of Young Men and the 1988 and 1995 National Surveys of Adolescent Males. The weighted pooled data set included 2087 never-married males aged 17-19 years. The percentage of those who had experienced sexual intercourse (SI) rose from 66% to 76% and then declined to 68% in 1995. For Black male youths, SI rates remained stable after 1988. The percentage with recent SI in the 4 weeks before the survey rose from 40% to 45% in 1979 and 1988, and then declined to 39% in 1995. The average number of female sexual partners (FSPs) was 4. The average number of FSPs declined among non-Blacks--from 3.8 in 1979 to 2.9 in 1995--and increased among Blacks--from 5.1 in 1979 to 6.9 in 1995. SI frequency during the prior year rose significantly from 14 encounters/year in 1979 to 21 in 1995. Among Black adolescents, SI frequency rose from 13 encounters/year in 1988 to 24 in 1995. Approval of nonmarital sex without an intention to marry followed similar increases and declines as for SI. Attitudes about premarital sex were strongly correlated with recent sexual activity. Teenagers who had received education about STDs or AIDS were significantly less likely to report having had recent SI. Birth control education and race were unrelated to sex behavior. Blacks were more supportive of marriage for nonmarital pregnancy in 1979. Black attitudes toward premarital sex grew more conservative. Less sexual activity is attributed, in part, to prevalence of AIDS education (except for Blacks) and more conservative attitudes, with unknown other factors.