Teen Sexual Activity
- The teen pregnancy rate in Canada has been in general decline with some fluctuations over the past twenty years. The rate fell from 44.9 per 1000 teen women in 1990 to 28.2 per 1000 teen women in 2010.1
- About 30% of 15 to 17-year-olds reported having had intercourse, compared with 68% of 18 and 19-year-olds.2
- The percentage of teens who reported having had sexual intercourse before they were 15-years-old fell slightly from 9.6% in 2003 to 9% in 2009/2010.3
- According the Canadian Community Health Survey, girls were less likely to have had sexual intercourse before age 15 (8%) than boys (10%)4
- While condom use at last intercourse among 15 to 24-year-olds increased from 62% in 2003 to 68% in 2009/2010, condom use declined with age in both reference periods.5
- “...(P)arents who refrained from drinking and getting drunk had children who were less likely to be sexually active as teens by 18 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.”6
- “Children of non-smokers were 15 per cent less likely to be sexually active as adults compared to the national average.”7
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Teen Sexual Activity
Endnotes
- McKay, A. (2012) Trends in Canadian national and provincial/territorial teen pregnancy rates: 2001 – 2010. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality vol. 21 (3-4).
- Rotermann, M. (2012) Sexual behaviour and condom use of 15 –to- 24-year-olds in 2003 and 2009/2010. Health Reports, vol. 23, no. 1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2012001/article/11632-eng.pdf
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Mitchell, P.J. (2009). Rated PG—How parental influence impacts teen sexual activity. Institute of Marriage and Family Canada. Retrieved from http://imfcanada.org/issues/rated-pg
- Ibid.