CDC: Sex Ed Delays Sex Acts

A new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that sex education delays sexual activities in teenagers. Released Wednesday, the data indicates classes help to convince teens to delay sex until after age fifteen.

Trisha Mueller, M.D., an epidemiologist with the CDC who spearheaded the study, said the study showed the efficacy of sex education.

“Sex education seems to be working,” she said in a statement. “It seems to be especially effective for populations that are usually at high risk.”

The study showed marked decreases in sexual behavior among both young men and young women. Teenage boys who received sex education were 71 percent less likely to become sexually active before age 15, and teenage girls were 59 percent less likely to become sexually active.

Teen boys who received sex education were also three times more likely to use contraceptive measures when they did engage in sexual activity. The study did not show a significant difference in contraceptive use among teen girls.

Some of the most significant delays in sexual activities came among disadvantaged populations. Urban African-American teen girls were 88 percent less likely to engage in sexual activity before age 15 if they received sex education, the study showed. And African-American teen boys were 91 percent less likely to do the same.

Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota President Sarah Stoesz praised the findings. In a statement, Stoesz said, “The CDC’s study backs up what Planned Parenthood has known for decades: When we give teenagers the tools to make responsible decisions about their health, they step up to the challenge.” Stoesz added that teaching teens about sex “starts with honest communication between young people and parents, open and accurate sex educationand access to affordable birth control.”

The Abstinence Clearinghouse did not respond to a request for comment.

The study did not differentiate between students receiving abstinence-based and comprehensive sex education, asking only if they had received any formal sex education in a school- or church-based setting. The study examined data collected in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth.

The study could strengthen the hand of DFLers in the upcoming legislative session.  In 2007, Democrats pushed for statewide comprehensive sex education classes in public schools.