THURS-076 - Trends in Contraception use among Sexually Active H.S. students from 2015 to 2023
Thursday, April 17, 2025
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM PST
Location: Pacific I/II, 2nd Floor
Area of Responsibility: Area IV: Evaluation and Research Subcompetencies: 4.5 Use findings., 4.4.6 Synthesize findings. 4.4.7 Develop recommendations based on findings.
Doctoral Student University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health (Houston) Houston, Texas, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Identify the various racial/ethnicity groups contraception usage method.
Assess for racial/ethnic differences when formulating interventions for various racial/ethnicity groups around their preferred method of contraception use
Express the differences in self-reported contraceptive use by sex.
Brief Abstract Summary: Teen birth rates have declined significantly over the past decade and reached a historic low in 2023 (13.2 births/1,000). Contraception use has implications for teen pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted infections (STI). This study will examine trends in contraception types used among high school students who report sexual activity from 2015 to 2023. We also examine trends by sex, race and ethnicity.
Detailed abstract description:
Background:
Teen birth rates decreased to 3 percent, from 13.6 births per 1,000 females in 2022 to 13.2 births per 1,000 females in 2023. Although teen birth rates continue to decline and hit a record low in 2023, recent research studies contribute to this decline due to a combination of adolescents delaying sexual intercourse and increased use of contraceptives. However, the outcomes among the various racial and ethnic groups for teen birth rates and contraceptions differ. Therefore, the objective of this study is to quantify differences in self-reported contraceptive usage by sex, race and ethnicity among a nationally representative sample of high school students.
Methods:
We pooled data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System from 2015to 2023. Participants were n=24,448 high school students in the US who reported ever having sex. Contraception was categorized as: (1) none; (2) condom; (3) hormonal medication; and (4) withdrawal. We modeled linear changes in prevalence for each contraction type, relative to none at all, using a weighted, multivariate, multinomial logistic regression. Next, we modeled these trends stratified by sex, racial category, and Hispanic ethnicity.
Results:
From 2015 to 2023, the percentage of high school students who reported never having sex increased from 59.8% to 72.3% (p < 0.001). Among high school students who reported ever having sex, there was a significant increase in use of hormonal contraception (aOR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01 - 1.05) but not condoms or withdrawal. No significant difference in trends was observed by sex (p=0.740) or Hispanic ethnicity (p=0.536). A significant decline in condom use was observed among Black youth (aOR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90 - 0.99). A significant increase in hormonal contraception (aOR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.00 -1.31), condom (aOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.01 - 1.29), and withdrawal (aOR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04 -1.41) was observed among Asian youth.
Discussion:
The findings present that the percentage of high school adolescents engaging in sexual activity has declined over the years. However, condom use is decreasing among Black/African American youth and hormonal contraception is increasing among all youth. These findings highlight the significance and need for evidence-based curriculum education sexual health and sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention for adolescents in school.
