It's not all beaches and palm trees: How Florida youth measure up to u.s. youth in sexual health

The U.S. lags behind other developed nations in teen birth rates and sexually transmitted infections, and Florida youth are disproportionately affected. Employing 2011 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data, the purpose of this research was to compare Florida and U.S. high school youth sexual behaviors, in general and by gender and race/ethnicity, to identify disparities. Measures included ever having had sexual intercourse, intercourse before the age of 13 (early sex), condom use at last sex, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use at last sex, and long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) use. A t-test analysis of weighted proportions between Florida (N=6,212) and U.S. youth (N=15,425) was conducted using the CDC's Youth Online: High School YRBS database. Results indicated statistically significant differences in four of five analyzed behaviors, all of which were worse for Florida youth compared with U.S. youth (except for condom use) (p=.03). Florida youth were more likely to report early sex (p<.01) and less likely to have used OCPs (p<.01). Florida youth were also less likely to have used LARCs, including subgroup differences among female, male, Hispanic, and white youth (p<.001). Additional subgroup analyses indicated that Florida males were more likely to have had early sex and Black Florida youth were less likely to have used OCPs (p<.001) than their U.S. counterparts. No differences were found between Florida and U.S. Hispanics. This study can inform policy and highlights the need to develop strategies for intervention/service provision among Florida youth so that resources can be allotted to priority populations.