When and Where Do Youths Have Sex? The Potential Role of Adult Supervision
Deborah A. Cohen, MD, MPH, Thomas A. Farley, MD, MPH, Stephanie N. Taylor, MD, David H. Martin, MD and Mark A. Schuster, MD, PhD

Fifty-six percent reported being home without an adult present 4 or more hours per day after school. There was no difference in the number of unsupervised after-school hours between children in 1- and 2-parent families. Fifty-five percent of boys and 41% of girls were participating in or planned to participate in after-school activities during the school year. Boys were more likely than girls to report having had sex for the first time before age 14 (42% vs 9%) and had a greater number of lifetime sex partners (mean: 4.2 vs 2.4 partners). Among the respondents who had had intercourse, 91% said that the last time had been in a home setting, including their own home (37%), their partner's home (43%), and a friend's home (12%), usually after school. Boys were more likely than girls to report having had sex in their own homes (43% vs 28%) and less likely than girls to report having had sex in their partner's homes (30% vs 59%). Fifty-six percent of youths who had had intercourse reported that the last time was on a weekday: 18% before 3:00, 17% between 3:00 and 6:00, and 21% after 6:00.


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