Abstinence Programs Are No Quickie Fix

In a large federally funded study of abstinence programs, researchers at Case Western Reserve University say the programs do not prevent teens from becoming sexually active or affect condom use. Surveys of 2,069 in grades seven and eight in Cleveland found that there was no significant difference in the average age of sexual initiation between teens who participated in the Ohio-run For Keeps abstinence program and those who did not; there also was no difference in reported rates of condom use. Abstinence programs did, however, lower the number of sexual partners and the number of sexual encounters reported by teens who were already sexually active, the researchers reported.