| 1 |  |
A. At Risk A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found "a substantial proportion of students engage in behaviors that place them at risk for HIV infection." By their senior year, 29 percent of high school seniors have had four or more sex partners, and less than half of the students are protecting themselves against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the CDC reported.
In fact, says the federal agency, condom use falls off as students advance in high school.
"The best way to explain it to kids is that it's like playing Russian roulette and not knowing how many live bullets are in the chambers," says Dr. Lloyd Kolbe, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health. "If you pull the trigger once it can cause you to become infected."
Male high school students are more likely than female students to be sexually active, 27 percent to 12 percent. By age 19, 54 percent of females have experienced sexual intercourse. A similar study 20 years ago among females 15 to 19 found 29 percent had engaged in sexual intercourse.
The New Jersey Governor's Advisory Council on AIDS recommended that condoms be made available to all students beginning in the ninth grade. It also recommended that a sexual education program be statewide and mandatory. "HIV/AIDS education should not be left entirely up to local school boards," the Council stated. For a documentary or a series of programs, gather information locally on AIDS education programs and blend this in with any data you gather about sexual activities of high school students. |