(I'm always "a day late and a dollar short" - where were these girls when I was a spotty teenager?)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Just over half of teens (aged 15-19) have had oral sex and nearly one in four who have not had sexual intercourse report they have had oral sex (24 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls), according to a new analysis released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Based on data from 2002, the new analysis also indicates that the proportion of virgin teen boys (aged 15-19) who have had oral sex did not increase between 1995 and 2002, but did increase for those teens who have had sexual intercourse (from 82 percent in 1995 to 88 percent in 2002). Trend data for teen girls is not available.

The National Campaign's analysis also shows that teen boys and girls are equally as likely to have had oral sex (55 percent of boys and 54 percent of girls). Among teens, oral sex is now more common than sexual intercourse-in 2002, about half of teens (53 percent of girls and 49 percent of boys) reported having had sexual intercourse. Nearly nine in ten teens (88 percent of boys and 87 percent of girls) who have had sexual intercourse also have had oral sex. The proportion of virgin and non-virgin teens who have had oral sex increases as teens get older.

"After years of provocative headlines and breathless stories based mostly on anecdote, we finally have some solid data to help us separate fact from fiction," said Sarah Brown, Director of the National Campaign. "The news is probably not as bad as adults might have been led to believe, but it is likely not as good as most parents might wish."

The National Campaign's analysis is based on data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), considered to be the premier source of national information on teen sexual behavior. The NSFG is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This data is being released at the same time that the NCHS is making available a comprehensive report on sexual behavior and selected health measures of those men and women aged 15-44.




Oral Sex