THE MEDICAL INSTITUTE ADVISORY
A QUICK LOOK AT THE FACTS AND THEIR IMPACT
A publication of The Medical Institute for Sexual Health
P.O. Box 162306 - Austin, TX 78716 - 512.328.6268 - Fax 512.328.6269
www.medinstitute.org
May 10, 2000
New survey shows that teens believe abstinence is best
A new poll of youth 12 to 17 years of age released by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy shows that most teens believe young people should avoid sexual activity and should be given a strong abstinence message. Sixty-four percent of teen girls and 53 percent of boys said that even if precautions are taken to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, high school teens should not engage in sexual activity. Among junior high youth 12 to 14 years of age, 69 percent said that high school teens should not engage in sexual activity. In addition, 93 percent of the young people surveyed said that it is important for teens to be given a strong message from society that they should abstain from sex until they are at least out of high school. Complete survey results are available at www.teenpregnancy.org/cautious.pdf.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The Cautious Generation? Teens tell us about sex, virginity, and ìThe Talk.î Accessed at: www.teenpregnancy.org/cautious.pdf on April 29, 2000.
Comment: Out of wedlock birth and STDs still remain enormous problems in the United States, but these data corroborate recent trends in teen attitudes and actions regarding sexual activity. Young people are currently less likely to approve of teens becoming sexually active than they were five or ten years ago. This is encouraging news and affirms those individuals and programs working to promote sexual abstinence as the healthiest sexual behavior for high school youth. The obvious next challenge is to raise this standard even higheróto convince teens, young adults and the rest of society that sexual abstinence is the healthiest behavior for all unmarried young people.
New study links human papillomavirus (HPV) with oral cancer
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Oncology Center have reported findings that ìstrongly suggest that HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers comprise a distinct molecular, clinical and pathologic disease entity that is likely causally associated with HPV infection.î More succinctly, it appears that HPV infection probably causes some oral cancer, and that these HPV-induced cancers are distinct from other types of oral cancer. For some time, evidence has existed that HPV may be associated with such cancers and this research provides further proof. The study was conducted by testing 253 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas for the presence of HPV using DNA tests. HPV was detected in 25 percent of the patients, and HPV type 16 (the strain most likely to cause cervical cancer in women) was present in 90 percent of individuals with HPV positive cancers.
Gillison ML, Koch WM, Randolh CB, et al. Evidence for a causal association between human papillomavirus and a subset of head and neck cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:709-720.
Comment: The evidence continues to mount that HPV causes oral cancer. Additionally, there is evidence showing that oral HPV is acquired through oral sex. The myth that oral sex is somehow a ìsafeî sexual activity is just thatóa myth. Sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV, are transmitted by oral sex and the long-term implications of oral HPV infection with certain strains of the virus are devastating. More research needs to be conducted to investigate the relationship between oral cancer and sexual practices.
MAKE AN IMPACT
Building Healthy Futures, a report now available from The Medical Institute, details the effectiveness of abstinence education and evaluates other approaches to sexuality education. For more information about this report or to purchase a copy ($23.50), please call 800.892.9484.
