Question
Sexual behavior in adolescence can have a wide variety of consequences. It is estimated that nearly half of all U.S. high school students have had sexual intercourse; the average age of first intercourse for boys and girls is 15. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 40,000-80,000 new cases of HIV are reported each year; approximately half of the new infections are among people younger than 25. On average, 12 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) are reported each year and adolescents have among the highest-reported rates of gonorrhea and Chlamydia . Drawing on material from the course, respond to the following questions:
1.) What cognitive and social factors contribute to high-risk sexual behavior in some adolescents?
2.) Should schools have sexual education programs in which they can inform and advise teens about sexual behavior, risk factors, and prevention? Why or why not?
