Students, Safety, and Sex

"Does making condoms available to students lead to an increased level of sexual activity?"

That question has been at the heart of battles over safe-sex programs around the country for years. In September 1997, the American Journal of Public Health published a study finding that "making condoms available does not encourage students who have never had sex to become sexually active." It also found that making condoms available to students at school led to a higher rate of condom use among sexually active students.

The study, initiated in the fall of 1994, compared the sexual behavior of 7119 students in New York City with that of 5738 students in Chicago. New York City public schools adopted a safe sex program in 1991 that includes access to condoms. Chicago's public schools provide safe-sex education, but they do not make condoms available to students.

The study found that while the level of sexual activity in the two cities is about equal, the number of students using condoms in New York was significantly higher than those in Chicago. Only about one-in-five New York students got condoms at school, but those in the high-risk category (three or more sexual partners in the last six months) were more likely to get them at school. They were also more likely to use condoms than Chicago's high-risk students.

From a public health standpoint, the survey is encouraging. Recent health-related surveys have turned up some troubling statistics about teens. For example:

• The majority of high school students are sexually active and do not use condoms consistently.
  
• About 10,000 13- to 21-year-olds are infected with HIV/AIDS each year.
  
• One million teenagers become pregnant each year.
  
• Three million 13- to 19-year-olds are infected with other sexually transmitted diseases.

Whether the new study will encourage schools to adopt condom-availability programs remains to be seen. Disputes over these policies have been so ugly in other school systems that it takes a school leader who is extremely committed to the project and widespread community support to see it implemented. A telling statistic is that a mere 50 school districts out of more than 16,000 have official condom programs.

New York City Schools Chancellor, Joseph Fernandez, found out just how emotional the issue can be. He was at the helm when New York City became the first school system in the country to make condoms available to students. The uproar that followed this decision damaged his career, and he was ousted shortly afterwards. For him, the report is a vindication and, in a comment to the New York Times, he called the findings "a wake up call."

More on: Talking About Sex with Teens