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Sex Stories: The Mysterious Decline in Teen Birth Rates

by Kait Scalisi | Aug 22, 2014 | News

4 million fewer babies!
Declines in all 50 states
No differences among race or ethnicity!
Taxpayers saved $12 billion!

Such headlines were the talk of the the public health world over the past week since the CDC released its latest report on teen birth rates. The report showed a surprising and positive result: both teen birth and abortion rates are on the decline in a very big way. These declines were seen across all states, races, and ethnicities.

The results feel almost too good to be true. Not only are fewer babies being born to teen parents, there are simply fewer teens getting pregnant to begin with. The feeling is fueled by the fact that no one can pinpoint exactly why such dramatic decreases are reported. As Vox summarizes so well:

Researchers have lots of theories that range from major changes in the economic climate to minor changes to contraceptive use. But none of them is completely satisfying; all of them leave the decline in the teen birth rate a question without an answer. Source

These theories look at factors like the recession, increased use of long-acting reversible contraceptives, and improvements in sex education. Other sources give credit to MTV’s reality shows such as 16 and Pregnant. Such shows are linked with increases in conversations about sex and contraception and may also serve as a “precautionary tale.”

No one theory can explain it all. For example, the recession cannot explain why teen birth rates specifically dropped so much faster than the overall birth rate. Just as the sex education theory cannot be universally applied as many school districts still teach abstinence only education. Most likely, it is some combination of all of the above.

Other factors which may have influenced the decline include:

Better outreach to teens via “new” communication methods such as texting and social media.
Healthcare reform that made it easier to access contraception.
The natural spread of information from peers receiving comprehensive sex education to those who did not.
A better understanding of the causes and benefits of teen pregnancy, as well as a more intersectional perspective, that informed programming and outreach.

While the magic formula can’t be fully defined, what we know is that public health organizations have gotten creative in their approaches to pregnancy prevention. Rather than solely try to figure out “how this happened,” the field must continue trying new things, monitoring the outcomes, and meeting teens where they are. Understanding and respecting the past is vital, but in today’s ever-changing world, its equally as important to continue moving forward and recognize that what worked over the past several years may or may not be effective going forward.

Other Sexual health News this Week

Intimacy a Strong Motivator for PrEP HIV Prevention (News from Brown)

Group Wants to Help Professors Fight Against Sexual Assault on Campus (Inside Higher Ed)

Pima County Seeing Increase in One Sexually Transmitted Disease (Tuscon News Now)

State, Federal Law Protects Gender Identity (Asbury Park Press)

Latest Ruling Overturning Same-Sex Marriage Ban Makes Indiana Governor a Party to Suit (IndyStar) Meanwhile, in Virgina, the Supreme Court temporary blocked the start of same-sex ceremonies. (Wall Street Journal)

Lesbians are Having More Orgasms than Straight Women (Huffington Post)

Important Dates

The following conference proposals are due in September. Click on each title for more information and to submit.

Nuestras Voces (our voices) National Bilingual Sexual Assault Conference, August 29

Southern College Health Association Conference 2015, September 1

American College Health Association 2015 Annual Meeting, September 15

Wyoming Sexual Assault Summit XIV: Start by Believing, September 19

The following conferences take place in September. Click on each title for more information and to register.

Catalyst Con, September 11-14, Los Angeles, CA Say hi to staff writer Kait Scalisi who is presenting on two panels: “Sex, Dating, Kink, and the ‘C’ Word,” and “How to Be a Sex-Positive Warrior in Public Health.”

Widener University’s Sexuality, Intimacy, & Aging Conference, September 19-20, Chester, PA Check out Kait’s session, “Sexual Health and Pleasure in Cancer Survivorship.”

Reproductive Health 2014, September 18-20, Charlotte, NC

Sex Stories: Sex Ed for 10-Year-Olds

by Kait Scalisi | Aug 14, 2014 | News

Sex education continues to be a controversial topic for just about everyone. Beyond the comprehensive versus abstinence-only argument, there is significant debate among researchers, educators, and advocates about what defines “comprehensive.” Another layer of this dialogue is how early and how often sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information should be taught. A recent analysis from Georgetown University advocates for investment in SRH promotion in very young adolescents (aged 10-14 years).

The article has an global focus but its implications are relevant to developed and developing countries alike. The authors looked at SRH development of very young adolescents as well as meso- and macro-level influences on this development. They ultimately conclude that earlier intervention is beneficial for numerous reasons:

Addressing root causes of SRH problems (e.g. STIs, unplanned pregnancy, etc) rather than focusing on fixing them as they develop.
Ensuring the majority of adolescents receive SRH information before their sexual initiation. According to the CDC, this is not currently the case.
Guiding adolescents through the changes of puberty with known support system (e.g. teachers) focused on these issues.
Giving them time and self esteem needed to make empowered SRH decisions later in life.
Teaching coping mechanisms, including the normalizing of the puberty experience, to handle changes they are experiencing.
Providing a foundation for future healthy relationships and sexual and reproductive health.

Both puberty and the solidification of gender roles begins during early adolescence, making this an especially critical time to reach the population. As the authors write, “Investing in younger adolescents can produce an ‘SRH and gender’ dividend […]” that may carry on into later years.

Most research shows that comprehensive sex education curriculums do have positive SRH outcomes in the short term, but that these outcomes diminish over time. This is not unsurprising, given what we know about adolescents’ brain development, especially their frontal lobe. Their idea of “risk” is diminished. Though this can be a scary concept, it supports the idea that the most effective sex education is not only comprehensive in terms of topic but also ongoing over several years. The messages can be increasingly complex as students get older, but by repeating similar information in new and engaging ways, it allows messages to better sink in and for those short-term impacts to be repeated and combined into more long-term improvements.

At the end of the day, the authors summarize the end goal best:

“As the [very young adolescent] population burgeons worldwide, advocates must strive to put this critical group on the global health and development map, moving them from a position of vulnerability to one of empowerment.”

Other Sexual Health News This Week

Federal Judges Refuse to Stay Decision Striking Va. Same-Sex Marriage Ban (The Washington Post)

ACLU Leader Wants Federal Review of Polk Sex Stings (WTSP 10 News – Tampa Bay Sarasota)

Why the Price of Commercial Sex Is Falling (The Economist)

Poor Condom Use Among Gay, Bisexual Black Men (Reuters)

GSU Addictions Studies Professor Awarded for Innovation (NWI Times)

Important Dates

The following conference proposals are due in September. Click on each title for more information and to submit.

Nuestras Voces (our voices) National Bilingual Sexual Assault Conference, August 29

Southern College Health Association Conference 2015, September 1

American College Health Association 2015 Annual Meeting, September 15

Wyoming Sexual Assault Summit XIV: Start by Believing, September 19

The following conferences take place in August and September. Click on each title for more information and to register.

Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, August 14-17, Alexandria, VA.

National Sexual Assault Conference, August 20-22, Pittsburgh, PA Be sure to check out “Sexual Violence in ‘The Scene’:Lessons from and Challenges Within BDSM/Kink Circles” presented by Aida Manduley from SHR’s partner organization, The CSPH.

Widener University’s Sexuality, Intimacy, & Aging Conference, September 19-20, Chester, PA Check out Kait’s session, “Sexual Health and Pleasure in Cancer Survivorship.”

Reproductive Health 2014, September 18-20, Charlotte, NC

Sex Stories: After ‘Mississippi Baby’ Setback, HIV/AIDS Researchers Regroup

by Kait Scalisi | Aug 8, 2014 | News

At the beginning of July, the HIV/AIDS community received what felt like a major blow: After 27 months, a baby thought to be cured of the disease tested positive for it. The so-called “Mississippi baby” was born with the HIV but thanks to an aggressive treatment regimen given for 18 months, was later found to be virus-free. Just over two years later, after the baby turned four, traces of the virus were again found in the child’s blood.

Though the rebound in the toddler’s HIV status is certainly a disappointment, it allows researchers to look at what went wrong, insights that will undoubtedly be invaluable when it comes to finding new treatments. The focus for researchers now then, is not only a treatment regimen that can be given at birth to cure or at the least repress the disease but also a regimen to incite prolonged remission in infants and older children who did not receive said initial treatment.

At a recent HIV/AIDS conference, the focus was decidedly on what can be learned from this case. The Voice of America quoted comments made by Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:

“‘So, something was keeping the virus suppressed,’ he said. ‘We need to know what that was and we also need to know what triggered it. But there is no guarantee we are going to get a cure; we may be faced with the fact that we do have to treat people indefinitely. We do not know that right now.'”

Four major questions stemming from this case are:

What about the treatment kept the disease under control without regular treatment for 27 months, a significantly longer period that ever reached before?
How does the virus maintain a “latent reservoir?”
What shocks it out of latency?
Once it’s out, how can it be sent back?

Ultimately, these questions will drive the future of HIV/AIDS research, demonstrating that science doesn’t always progress in a linear fashion; and that a setback is not necessarily a failure.