The Most Unprotected Sexually Active High Schoolers in America

by Andrea D'Eramo, BetterDoctor.com, September 15, 2015 

Teenagers are curious – especially about sex. They also have sex. The majority of high school students in the United States – 64% – will have sex before they graduate high school. But whether they are educated about sex itself, or know how to protect themselves from transmittable infections and pregnancy are entirely different things.

As students head back to school, BetterDoctor crunched the numbers to see which states have the most unprotected sexually active high school students across the United States. The study illustrates where teenagers need the most educational support when it comes to sex and protecting themselves from transmittable infections and unwanted pregnancies.

We at BetterDoctor encourage everyone to take control of their health so we consulted with health experts about the subject. What did they have to say? Basically: Talk to your kids – often, teach them about their changing bodies and get them the healthcare they need to keep themselves safe. Read more about their advice, when to talk to your kids, what to talk about, and see where high schoolers need the most attention in our study below.

• Where are students the most sexually active? To gauge the number of sexually active students in each state, we looked at the CDC’s Youth Behavior Risk Survey data that’s compiled every other year. The latest data available is from 2013 and is the result of thousands of surveys completed by high school students around the country. We included figures about how many students reported ever having sexual intercourse and how many are currently sexually active to illustrate trends on a state-by-state basis.

• Which states have the most unprotected sexually active high school students? Going beyond sexually active high school students, we wanted to see where students were protecting themselves from pregnancy and transmitted infections – and where they weren’t. Some sexually transmitted infections and diseases can stay with people their whole lives, so taking actions to avoid infections or unwanted pregnancy is very important to student health. Again for this metric, we used data from the CDC.

• What is the teen birth rate in each state? To gauge how unprotected sex affects younger Americans, we included the teen birth rate for each state – again using 2013 data. This data can include births from some teenagers who have graduated or who are no longer in high school because it includes teens age 15-19. All this information was collected byThe National Campaign.

What we found:

• States in the south and southwest had the highest rates of students not using any form of birth control
• States in the northeast had the lowest birth rates and very few student not using any birth control
• States in the midwest had relatively high rates of zero birth control use among sexually active high school students, but had relatively low birth rates
• Massachusetts and New York, which fund minors’ confidential access to contraceptives had two of the lowest birth rates

High School Students Sexual Behaviors and the US Teenage Birth Rate

This table is sorted by the most unprotected, sexually active high school students in America.

read … The Most Unprotected Sexually Active High Schoolers in America

2014: Health Survey: 11.8% of DoE Students Treated After Attempting Suicide