Daily HealthBeat Tip

Cutting sex risk

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

High school students are reducing their risks of getting sexually transmitted diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's finding was in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Over about 15 years, high schoolers who ever had sex decreased by 13 percent. Among those who were sexually active, those using condoms increased by 36 percent.

The CDC's Howell Wechsler says a lot of causes could have led to the improvements – from the young people themselves to the influence of educators, youth leaders, government and media campaigns, and parents.

But he says too many still put themselves at risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

Wechsler advises parents:

"You need to know what's going on in the lives of your children, and express clearly, forthrightly and with love the values that you want to transmit to them." (eight seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 22, 2006

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