HIGH-RISK SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR AMONG YOUNG URBAN STUDENTS

A substantial number of adolescents, including many as young as II, en gage in high-risk sexual behavior. In a 1992 survey of 2,248 urban stu dents in grades 6, 8 and 10, 45% of respondents, including 28% of sixt h graders, were sexually active; the majority of sexually experienced students had had two or more partners. Among sexually active responden ts, however, the level of condom use at last intercourse was higher th an expected (71%). Results of multivariate analyses indicate that stud ents in grades 8 and 10 were significantly more likely than sixth grad ers to be sexually experienced; males, blacks and socioeconomically di sadvantaged students were significantly more likely than their female, white and better-off counterparts to be sexually active. The effects of gender and race interacted in some cases, and race and socioeconomi c status had significant independent effects on rates of sexual interc ourse. While males and black students reported high levels of sexual a ctivity they also were more likely than young women and Hispanics to h a ve used condoms at last intercourse.