Articles

Abstinence programs alter kids' attitudes toward sex, study says

By Regina McEnery
Published on: June 15, 2005 in Plain Dealer Reporter

Elementary and middle school students exposed to four different abstinence-until-marriage programs reported being less supportive of teen sex than youths who had no abstinence education at all, according to a large survey commissioned by the federal government.

But results of the survey, spread over 178 pages and released on Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services, did not examine behavioral outcomes, and critics of the abstinence movement doubt the programs, and others like them, will translate into reductions in sexual diseases or delayed sexual activity during teenage years.

The report was produced by Mathematica, a research firm in Princeton with a long history of evaluating government-funded social service and education programs.

The report looked at school-based programs in Florida, Mississippi, Virginia and Wisconsin that target students in grades three through eight. The programs lasted one to three years and primarily included children from single-parent households.

Researchers enrolled 2,310 youths over a three-year period beginning in 1999, randomly assigning the students to either an abstinence-only program or a control group that was offered standard health education or sex education classes.

Survey results showed that students in the abstinence-only programs were less supportive of teen sex and more likely to participate in classes about physical development and reproduction, marriage and relationships. The programs also seemed to raise students' awareness about the consequences of teen sex, the study found. But communication with parents about sex wasn't stronger in the abstinence group nor were perceptions about the impact of peer pressure on teen sexual activity.

Rebecca Maynard, an economist who led the Mathematica study, said behavioral data will be released next year measuring the impact of abstinence-only programs on sexual activity, teen pregnancy and sexual diseases, and drug and alcohol use.

"There is not a lot of evidence that comprehensive sex ed works either," said Maynard during a telephone interview at her University of Pennsylvania office.

"There have been a limited number of studies. Some show favorable effects, some show unfavorable effects and most of the studies have been poorly done."

The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland released a statement saying that the report did not include a representative sample of the more than 700 federally funded programs.

"This interim report raised more questions than it answers and points to the need to conduct more research," said Earl Pike, executive director of the AIDS Taskforce.

"Specifically, we ought to be asking whether abstinence-only-until-marriage programs actually reduce sexual diseases and unplanned pregnancy before we continue spending nearly $200 million a year on such initiatives."

Along with the Mathematica survey, two studies released Tuesday from the conservative-based Heritage Foundation challenged earlier findings by saying that teenagers who take virginity pledges are less likely to engage in sexual activity.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

rmcenery@plaind.com, 216-999-5338