Teens who come from close-knit neighborhoods and families are less likely to have sex at a young age, while teens' schools have less influence on their sexual behavior, a new study led by UC San Francisco found. The findings could help educators and public health officials direct resources more effectively to prevent unplanned pregnancy , sexually transmitted diseases and other negative outcomes from having sex at a young age. For the study in the Journal of Adolescent Health , researchers asked 4,001 adolescents from 751 neighborhoods and 115 schools in Alabama, California and Texas whether they had had sex by 10th grade.
They surveyed the students, as well as their families and teachers, about the quality of relationships at home and in their schools and neighborhoods. Questions included how likely families and neighbors were to spend time together and help one another, and how much students trusted one another and their teachers. Children whose parents restricted their dating were 55% less likely to have sex by 10th grade, as were kids who spent less time alone when home (8% less likely) and whose families reported being cohesive (7% less likely).
Children from close-knit neighborhoods were 10% less likely to have sex by 10th grade, while those in neighborhoods that were socioeconomically disadvantaged and with lower educational levels were 24% and 23%, respectively, more likely to have sex by 10th grade. There were no school factors associated with having sex by 10th grad.
