Middle School Youth Sexual Behaviors & Team Sports

Purpose:  Little research is available on the sexual behavior of middle school students.  The purpose of this study was to examine sexual behaviors of middle school students and the relationship of these behaviors to team sports.

Methods: Youth Risk Behavior Middle School Survey data were obtained from 3 large southern school districts.  Data collections followed CDC protocol including randomization and obtaining at least 60% response rate required to calculate weighted data.  Data were managed using SAS and analyzed using SUDAAN.  Frequencies and Chi Squares were tabulated.  Multivariable logistic regressions were run using gender, grade and race as covariates to predict sexual behaviors among students who played team sports.

Results:  Almost a fourth of students (23%) had ever had sex, 6% had sex before age 11, 8% had 3 plus partners, and 68% used a condom during last sex.   There were significant differences by gender, age and/or race for all 4 behaviors.  Regressions showed that students who played team sports were 1.3 times more likely to have ever had sex, 1.4 times more likely to have had sex before age 11, and 2 times more likely to have used a condom at last sex.

Conclusions: While the majority of middle school youth are not yet sexually active, a substantial group is.  Team sports have been shown to be a protective factor for numerous health behaviors in previous studies.  Reasons for the finding that middle school students playing team sports were more likely to have engaged in sex will be discussed.