From Madame Noire: For once, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting some positive news on black teens and sexual activity. According to report author Laura Kann, there has been a “dramatic” decline in sexual activity among black teens and the number of those sexually active teens who are not using condoms.
Specifically, in the CDC’s overall report on teen sexual activity, the percentage of black teens who reported ever having sex fell from 82 percent in 1991 to 60 percent in 2011. The number with four or more sex partners also declined to 25 percent from 43 percent, and black teens also have a higher rate of condom use at 65 percent, compared to the overall average of 60 percent for teens across all races.
Though many see these results as confirmation of the effectiveness of safe-sex efforts in the black community, Kahn says the reason for the decline isn’t clear.
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