Sexual activity, knowledge, and attitudes among North Carolina adolescents, 2002

              No. 145 November 2004
Sexual Activity, Knowledge, and Attitudes
Among North Carolina Adolescents, 2002
by
J. Timothy Whitmire, Ph. D.
Paul A. Buescher, Ph. D.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine differences in the level of reported sexual activ-ity,
parental communication, and knowledge and attitudes about birth control and sexuality among
selected groups of North Carolina middle and high school students.
Methods: Surveys were administered to middle and high school students by the Adolescent Pregnancy
Prevention Program of the North Carolina Division of Public Health in the fall of 2002. The data were
processed and descriptive statistics were produced by staff of the State Center for Health Statistics
using SAS software.
Results: Among survey respondents, approximately 16 percent of middle school students and 30 per-cent
of high school students reported ever having had sexual intercourse. Approximately 2 percent of
those in middle school and 3 percent of those in high school reported that they had gotten a girl preg-nant
or that they had been pregnant. Higher rates of sexual activity were reported among boys, Afri-can
Americans, high school students, and adolescents with a low grade point average ( GPA). Among
those who had sexual intercourse during the past three months, one- third did not always use contra-ception.
Those more likely to report that they used contraception were boys, high school students,
students of an “ Other” race, and students with a high GPA.
Conclusions: These findings show that middle and high school students with higher GPAs are more
likely to postpone sexual intercourse and more likely to use contraception when sexually active. The
findings also suggest that positive communication between parents and adolescents contributes to the
postponement of sexual activity during adolescence.
SCHS Studies
NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
A Special Report Series by the State Center for Health Statistics
1908 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N. C. 27699- 1908
North Carolina Public Health www. schs. state. nc. us/ SCHS/