Tuesday, May 10, 2005

SPOTLIGHT: Teenage sex

1 in 10 teens sexually active

MORE than one-tenth of Canadian teenagers say they have had sex by the age of 15, according to a new report, which also found a strong link between smoking and early sexual intercourse.

An estimated 12% of boys and 13% of girls reported having had sexual intercourse by the ages of 14 or 15, although the factors related to early sexual activity differed by sex.

The odds of early sexual intercourse among girls were high for those who, at ages 12 or 13, had reached puberty or were not overweight.

In addition, girls who had a weak “self concept” were more likely than those with a stronger sense of self to have had sex by 14 or 15.  The opposite was true for boys.

Link to smoking

The study, which was based on data from 1996 through to 2001, also suggested that a strong association exists between smoking and early sexual intercourse for both sexes.

By the age of 12 or 13, about 26% of boys and 31% of girls in the survey group had reported trying cigarettes.  Within two years, more than one-quarter of this group reported that they had had intercourse.

Similarly, the study found a link between drinking and girls in that age group. However, no similar association was seen in boys.

However, boys with poor relationships with their parents at age 12 or 13, or who were in a lower-income family, reported having had sex by the age of 14 or 15.

The survey, which covered 3,212 young people, also found that young girls in Quebec and eastern provinces were likely to report being sexually active than those in Ontario.

Risks to health

A second report, also based on self-reported data, examined sexual activity among young people from the point of view of number of partners and risk to health.

It found that 4% of young people aged 15 to 24 who had had sex at least once reported having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. The true figure is likely higher than reported because of a possible lack of symptoms or awareness.

Young adults aged 20 to 24 were significantly more likely than those 15 to 17 to have been diagnosed with an STD. This is probably because the older group has had more years of being sexually active.

Similarly, early age at first intercourse also increased the risk. Those who had had sexual intercourse by age 13 were more than twice as likely to report a sexually transmitted disease as those who had waited until they were older.

You can read the full reports “Early sexual intercourse” and “Sex, condoms and STDs among young people” on our website.

For more information, contact Didier Garriguet (613-951-7187), Health Statistics Division.

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© 2004, 2005 Statistics Canada.