Health Officials Worry Over Unsafe Sex Among Teen-Agers

Public health officials are concerned by a recent study that shows a significant number of teen-agers are unsure they can make behavior changes to protect themselves from HIV infection, either by abstaining from sex or engaging in safe sex.

“Most young people are already educated about AIDS . . . and they know that short of abstinence, using condoms is the best way to keep from getting AIDS. But we also know they’re not using condoms,” says Elliot Aronson, a psychology professor at UC Santa Cruz, where studies on teens and AIDS were recently conducted.

According to a recent study of 531 teen-agers, 68% of the sexually active youths reported they had unprotected intercourse.

Health experts are exploring several approaches to improve long-term safe behavior among teens. At Santa Cruz, Aronson’s studies suggest that when teen-agers preach the importance of safe sex to their peers in group settings, they are more likely to hold themselves to those standards to avoid feeling like hypocrites.

“We’ve all learned from a very early age that we’re supposed to practice what we preach,” Aronson says.

It’s of little use to teach teens about AIDS without addressing their personal values and how outside influences, such as peer pressure, can alter their determination to protect themselves, say health experts in a study in the April American Journal of Public Health.

The study suggests that adolescents should be instructed on how to question sexual partners about their sex and drug-use histories, how to use condoms correctly and consistently, and how to refuse offers to engage in sexual intercourse, especially in high-pressure social situations.

At the University of Washington in Seattle, professor Roger Roffman is exploring using free, anonymous telephone counseling to reach teen-agers who may be too intimidated or shy to seek AIDS counseling elsewhere.