Research : MOASH

Research & Data

New and Noteworthy

Counting It Up: New Data on the Economic Costs of Teen Childbearing and the Benefits of Reducing Teen Births

Research closely links teen parenthood to many negative consequences for mothers, fathers, children, and society. New from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended Pregnancy, Counting It Up documents the public costs of teen childbearing at both the national and state level. Teen childbearing in the United States cost taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $10.9 billion in 2008! In Michigan it cost taxpayers $308 million-- the 10th highest state cost! The good news is that the decline in teen birth rates between 1991 and 2008 saved taxpayers $338 million in that same time period. Click here for the state tables on costs/savings.

A Public Health Approach for Advancing Sexual Health in the United States: Rationale and Options for Implementation

New from the CDC (June 2011). Click here for the link.

New Resource Documents in Adolescent Sexual Health: December 2010

Compiled by the Michigan Departments of Education and Community Health, this helpful compilation includes a number of new resource documents for those working in the fields of adolescent HIV, STI, and pregnancy prevention adolescent sexual health. The list is compiled quarterly, and is not an all inclusive list. Resources should be reviewed locally to determine appropriateness and fit for specific programs and communities.

NATIONAL SURVEY OF SEXUAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR

Just Released: The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), conducted by researchers from the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, is one of the most comprehensive studies on these topics in almost two decades. It includes the sexual experiences and condom-use behaviors of 5,865 adolescents and adults ages 14 to 94.

Initial findings from the survey, presented in nine separate research articles, were published on Oct. 1, 2010 in a special issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, a leading peer-reviewed journal in the area of urology and sexual health. The issue also includes commentaries offering perspectives on the study from leading U.S. sexual health authorities, including former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Lynn Barclay, President and CEO of the American Social Health Association.

REFUSING TO SHY AWAY FROM HEALTHY ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY

In the March 2010 issue of Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, several leading experts in the field took part in a special roundtable in which they discussed the most important priorities for sexual and reproductive health research for the next decade. In her piece, “Reframing Research on Adolescent Sexuality: Healthy Sexual Development as Part of the Life Course,” Carolyn Tucker Halpern addressed the field’s history of treating adolescent sexuality strictly as a problem, and emphasized the importance of approaching it as a developmental process, thereby helping young people make the transition from exploratory sexual activity to health sexual lives.
For more information, click here.

FLUIDITY IN SEXUAL VOCABULARY & TERMS

Sexual health researchers, practitioners and clinicians may need to brush up on their sexual lingo and reconsider what some clients mean when they use the term “unprotected sex.”
In recent article in Culture, Health & Sexuality, Wynn, Trussell and Foster analyzed 1,134 e-mails sent to an emergency contraception website in the United States (Emergency Contraception) over the course of one year. The range of terms used varied widely by category: e-mail authors used more than 30 terms or phrases to describe sexual acts. Writers of the e-mails also used a variety of modifiers and qualifiers when asking questions about sex (e.g., ‘We didn’t have full out sex, he just put it in and out,’ or ‘My girlfriend and I kinda had sex, I went in like twice’). People were most likely to use avoidant language in writing about sex and genitals.
Perhaps the most striking finding was the relatively large number of writers who used the term “unprotected sex” to refer to sex without a condom but with correct use of hormonal contraceptives.
The authors argue that questions about sexual practices can be reliable only if clear consensus exists about how those sexual activities are defined. Sexual health education campaigns must take into account the range of popular expressions that can be used to express a single concept, while simultaneously keeping in mind the variability in meaning that may be attached to a single term. Finally, clinicians need to similarly be attuned to the range of expressions that patients may use to describe their sexual lives and reproductive health.
For more information, see http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/247838_731197599_919885629.pdf.

MANY PARENTS BELIEVE TALKING TO PRETEENS ABOUT SEX IS IMPORTANT, YET FEEL UNPREPARED TO DO SO
Parents’ beliefs about the importance of talking to their children about sex may not be reflected in their behavior, according to “Parents’ Perspectives on Talking to Preteenage Children About Sex,” by Ellen K. Wilson et al., published in the March issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Participants in a series of 2007 focus groups for parents of children ages 10-12 were nearly unanimous that parents should talk to their children about sex, and 89 percent believed that talking to their child would make a difference in whether he or she had sex at a young age. However, many had not done so.

The main barriers parents reported were feeling uncomfortable (39 percent), thinking someone else would do it better (37 percent), and thinking it might encourage their children to have sex (32 percent). Other identified barriers were parents’ not knowing enough about sex, having poor communication with their children in general, being too busy and considering their children too young to talk about sex.

The authors recommend interventions that support parents in opening the lines of communication with their children, talking to them about sexuality throughout childhood and assessing what topics are appropriate at different ages. They suggest that providing parents with information about the stages of sexual development could help them understand their children’s need for information about sex even before their youngsters show signs of interest.
For more information, click here.

Parents Matter: The Role of Parents in Teens’ Decisions About Sex,

Child Trends, November 2009 (ChildTrends.org)
New Research Brief shows parents have more influence than they think on
their adolescents’ decisions about sex. Nearly one-half of 12- to
19-year-olds (47 percent) reported that their parents had the most
influence on their decisions about sex.

HIV Increasing Among Michigan Teenagers

In observance of World AIDS Day (December 1st), the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH)issued a press release in which it "announced the fourth consecutive year that Michigan is experiencing significant increases in HIV among teenagers. This is a trend that is occurring nationally as well." For the complete press release, click here.

This story was picked up by press around the region including Macomb County, Detroit, Wayne County, Oakland County, Toledo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, South Bend, Kalamazoo, Holland, Muskegon, and the Thumb. It was also covered in national media outletsnewspapers around the region. You can find articles read by your local community in the link below, and use those articles to help create awareness in your trainings and awareness activities so that we don’t become complacent about HIV and AIDS in Michigan.

HIV Increasing Among Michigan Teens

Child Trends has issued a new research brief: Ten Reasons to Still Keep the Focus on Teen Childbearing (March 2009).

The brief provides powerful arguments for the continuing and renewed concerns about teen parenthood.

Guide to Implementing a Sexually Transmitted Disease School- Wide Screening (January 2009), which includes step-by-step implementation guidance for schools and community-based agencies.

Useful Links to State of Michigan Data Sources

State of Adolescent Sexual Health in Michigan (April 2010)

Michigan Departments of Education and Community Health, in partnership with MOASH, developed this issue paper outlining current data related to adolescent sexual health in Michigan and recommendations for addressing the issues.
The Michigan Departments of Community Health and Education have statistics that can be used for program planning, implementation, evaluation, and grant writing on their websites. Below is quick information about how to access the latest Michigan data pertaining to sexual risk behaviors and health outcomes such as HIV, other STD, teen pregnancy and births.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
Michigan data on unintentional injury and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy or disease, dietary behaviors, and physical inactivity for Michigan students in grades 9-12.

Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth (MiPHY)
www.michigan.gov/miphy
Includes county-level reports, aggregating data for students in grades 7, 9, and 11 in participating schools. Includes YRBS behavior items as well as risk and protective factors.

HIV/AIDS
www.michigan.gov/hivstd Click on “HIV/AIDS”, Click on “Statistics and Reports”
Information and estimates of HIV/AIDS incidence, trends, and prevalence by gender, age, race and other characteristics.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
www.michigan.gov/hivstd Click on “STDs”, Click on yellow “STD Statistics” box
Trends of chlamydia, gonorrhea, primary and secondary syphilis (P&S syphilis) and all syphilis by gender and age.

Teen Pregnancy and Births
www.michigan.gov/mdch Click on “Statistics and Reports", Click on “Vital Statistics”,
Click on “Natality and Pregnancy”
Statistical information on live births and pregnancies. Broken down by age, county of residence, and other factors.

Useful Links to National Data Sources

Research on Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Research on Prevention Programming

New Special Collection: Preventing and Responding to Teen Dating Violence

The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women
VAWnet eNewsletter (October/November 2009) includes a new special collection which emphasizes collaborative and multilevel approaches to the prevention of and response to teen dating violence. It draws on the work of many organizations and organizes the resources on TDV prevention and responses by different populations.

MOASH