Study Shows Black Teens Less Likely to Be Sexually Active Than 20 Years Ago

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the percentage of Black teenagers who have had sex has dropped by 22 percentage points over the past 20 years. In 1991, 82 percent of Black teenagers reporting having had sex. In 2011, the percentage had dropped to 60 percent.

For all races and ethnic groups, 47 percent of teenagers in 2011 reported having had sex. This was down from 54 percent in 1991.

The data also showed that in 2011, 25 percent of Black teenagers who were sexually active have had four or more sexual partners. This was down from 43 percent in 1991.

The data is encouraging for efforts to combat the high rate of HIV-infection among young Blacks.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

In Memoriam: Faith Ringgold, 1930-2024

Ringgold was a mixed media artist, best known for her narrative quilts which centered around African American and women's representation. She was a professor emerita of art with the University of California, San Diego where she taught for 15 years.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

In Memoriam: Roscoe Hightower Jr., 1966-2024

Dr. Hightower was a professor of marketing at his alma mater, historically Black Florida A&M University, where he taught for over two decades. He also served the university as the Centennial Eminent Scholar Chair and Professor of Marketing and Facility Management.

Featured Jobs