Teen Sex Survey Reveals Risky Behavior

A new study on city teens and sex has identified some risky sexual behaviors – particularly among teens that have partners of both genders.
According to the study in the journal Pediatrics released today, nearly one in 10 of the city's sexually-active high school students say they have had at least one partner of the same sex.

Those teens reported higher-than-average rates of dating violence, forced sex, and risky sexual behavior.

Of the male teens who say they have had both male and female partners, just 44 percent said they used a condom the last time they had sex. That's compared to 79 percent of male teens who have only slept with female partners and 62 percent who have slept with only same-sex partners.

The report is based on more than 17,000 public health surveys administered in New York City high schools in 2005 and 2007.

Of the students who completed the survey, more than 40 percent said they had had sexual intercourse.

The survey also found that more than one-third of teens who had same-sex encounters identified themselves as straight – a finding some say points to a need for public health messages to target behavior, not identity.