Friday, May 23, 2008
YOUNG LOVERS AT MANILA BAY
Let's talk about sex for a change.
According to a recent Reuters report, a survey conducted by New York's Guttmacher Institute, indicates a widespread belief among U.S. teens that non-vaginal forms of sex, especially oral sex, is a way to be sexually active while remaining to be "technically" virgins.
The study, participated by about 2,271 females and males age 15 to 19, also reveals that about one in 10 of the teens said they had engaged in anal sex.
"Teens of white ethnicity and higher socioeconomic status were more likely than their peers to have ever had oral or anal sex," the researchers wrote.
The Guttmacher Institute studies sexual and reproductive health issues.
Meanwhile, a Washington Post article claims that slightly more than half of American teenagers ages 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex, with females and males reporting similar levels of experience. Moreover, the report shows that the proportion increases with age to about 70 percent of all 18- and 19-year-olds. That figure is considerably higher for those who also have engaged in intercourse.
The article was based on the most comprehensive national survey of sexual behaviors ever released by the federal government. It was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had also conducted a groundbreaking study on teenage sex practices as reported by USAToday. It reveals that among teens, oral sex is often viewed so casually that it needn't even occur within the confines of a relationship. Some teens say it can take place at parties, possibly with multiple partners. But they say the more likely scenario is oral sex within an existing relationship.
The sexual practices by these U.S. teens may be just as prevalent amongst Filipino youths. Hence, I agree with Laura Lindberg of the Guttmacher Institute in New York -- that while oral and anal sex carry no risk of pregnancy, engaging in these behaviors can nevertheless put teens at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Local health officials, much like their American counterparts, ought to implement continued counseling and education programs that address the full range of behaviors that teens engage in, including oral and anal sex.
* * *
Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
*
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
*
Labels: health issues, youth culture
posted by Señor Enrique at 7:40 AM
| 14 comments
