STD study shows that some teens who claim abstinence test positive

By Staff Writer

A new study reveals that many American teenagers are not being honest about their past sexual activity, and regular testings may be necessary in order to better detect sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among adolescents.

Researchers from Emory University found that 10 percent of teens who tested positive for an STD claimed that they were abstinent within the last year. About half of the teens who claimed abstinence in the previous 12 months - but tested positive - said that they had never had sex in their lives.

The team of researchers studied data that was compiled by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which questioned about 14,000 teens between grades 7 and 12, then administered a urine test that could detect gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. The results appeared in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The study's authors admitted there were a few setbacks to the findings. It's possible that the teens who said they were abstinent for 12 months may have contracted an STD more than a year before being tested. Also, adolescents were questioned about heterosexual vaginal intercourse, which is the cause of most cases - but not all - of the three STDs included in the study.

Parents who have children who engage in unhealthy sexual behavior may consider enforcing tough love, which could include stricter curfews or supervised social gatherings.