By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer A new study by researchers at the University of Texas (UT) School of Public Health found that middle school youth are engaging in risky sexual behavior as early as age 12. Christine Markham, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral science at the UT School of Public Health, and colleagues examined sexual risk behaviors among middle school students in a large southeastern U.S. urban public school district. "This is one of the few school-based studies conducted with this age group to look at specific sexual practices in order to develop more effective prevention programs," Markham said. "This study shows that although most seventh graders are not engaging in sexual risk behaviors, a small percentage are putting themselves at risk." In the study, Markham and colleagues defined sexual intercourse as vaginal, oral or anal sex. According to their research, by age 12, 12 percent of students had already engaged in vaginal sex, 7.9 percent in oral sex, 6.5 percent in anal sex and 4 percent in all three types of intercourse. A quarter of these students said they had already had four or more partners. The students most likely to have engaged in these activities were males and African-Americans. "We need to develop prevention programs that address the needs of students who are not yet sexually active in order to promote skills and attitudes to help them wait until they are older to have sex," Markham said. The study recommends that sexually active students also need to receive accurate and factual information and services related to STDs and pregnancy testing, as well as skills for future abstention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80 percent of the 435,427 births to mothers ages 15 to 19 were the result of unintended pregnancies. In 2000, youth between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for 9.1 million or 48 percent of all new STD cases, according to a report by the CDC. Minority youth also are disproportionately affected. The CDC's 2006 STD Surveillance Report stated that minority racial and ethnic populations had higher rates of STDs when compared to whites and, although black teens represent only 17 percent of U.S. teenagers, they account for 70 percent of HIV/AIDS cases reported among teens. "We need more research to develop effective interventions, in particular for youth of color living in underserved areas," Markham said. "A common misperception among adolescents is that oral or anal intercourse is not as risky for STD transmission," said Markham. "But transmission of non-viral and viral STDs can occur through all three types of intercourse . . ." These findings clearly indicate the need for open discussion about sexual health at the middle school level, Markham said. "It is critical that health education teachers and school nurses feel comfortable addressing these issues with their students and that their efforts are supported by parents and the school administration," she added. Results from this study are published in the April issue of Journal of School Health. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com