Fewer teens having sex, StatsCan study suggests
August 20, 2008
Fewer Canadian teens are reporting having sexual intercourse, and the decline appears to be greater among young women than young men, according to a new study.
In 2005, 43 per cent of teens aged 15 to 19 reported having intercourse at least once, compared to 47 per cent in 1996-1997, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.
The study found that the decline was due to young women, where the proportion that reported having had intercourse decreased from 51 per cent to 43 per cent.
Meanwhile, the proportion of young men who reported having intercourse remained the same at 43 per cent.
The proportion of teens who reported having had intercourse before the age of 15 also declined from 12 per cent in 1996-1997 to eight per cent in 2005.
Statistics Canada analyst Michelle Rotermann said the study did not look at motivations behind the different behaviours, so it's not clear why there are differences between young men and women.
As for condom use, the proportion of sexually active teen girls who reported using a condom increased from 65 per cent in 2003 to 70 per cent in 2005, while the proportion remained unchanged at around 80 per cent among teen boys.
Overall, condom use was more common among younger teens, with 81 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds reporting using a condom the last time they had intercourse in 2005, compared to 70 per cent of teens aged 18 and 19.
FULL STORY:
http://parentcentral.ca/parent/articlePrint/482297
August 20, 2008
Fewer Canadian teens are reporting having sexual intercourse, and the decline appears to be greater among young women than young men, according to a new study.
In 2005, 43 per cent of teens aged 15 to 19 reported having intercourse at least once, compared to 47 per cent in 1996-1997, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.
The study found that the decline was due to young women, where the proportion that reported having had intercourse decreased from 51 per cent to 43 per cent.
Meanwhile, the proportion of young men who reported having intercourse remained the same at 43 per cent.
The proportion of teens who reported having had intercourse before the age of 15 also declined from 12 per cent in 1996-1997 to eight per cent in 2005.
Statistics Canada analyst Michelle Rotermann said the study did not look at motivations behind the different behaviours, so it's not clear why there are differences between young men and women.
As for condom use, the proportion of sexually active teen girls who reported using a condom increased from 65 per cent in 2003 to 70 per cent in 2005, while the proportion remained unchanged at around 80 per cent among teen boys.
Overall, condom use was more common among younger teens, with 81 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds reporting using a condom the last time they had intercourse in 2005, compared to 70 per cent of teens aged 18 and 19.
FULL STORY:
http://parentcentral.ca/parent/articlePrint/482297
