Responsible Sexual Behavior:
 
Unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including infection with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, can result from unprotected sexual behaviors. Abstinence is the only method of complete protection. Condoms, if used correctly and consistently, can help prevent both unintended pregnancy and STDs.

Nationally, in 1999, 85 percent of adolescents abstained from sexual intercourse or used condoms if they were sexually active. In 1995, 23 percent of sexually active women reported that their partners used condoms.

In the past 6 years there has been both an increase in abstinence among all youth and an increase in condom use among those young people who are sexually active. Condom use in sexually active adults has remained steady at about 25 percent.

Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended; that is, at the time of conception the pregnancy was not planned or not wanted. Unintended pregnancy rates in the United States have been declining. The rates remain highest among teenagers, women aged 40 years or older, and low-income women. Approximately 1 million teenage girls each year in the United States have unintended pregnancies. Nearly half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.

The cost to U.S. taxpayers for adolescent pregnancy is estimated at between $7 billion and $15 billion a year.

In Arizona, the teen pregnancy rate (age 15 - 17) dropped from a decade high of 65.4/1000 in 1994 to 40.2/1000 in 1999, significantly lower than the target (45) set by the Arizona 2000 plan.

Sexually transmitted diseases are common in the United States, with an estimated 15 million new cases of STDs reported each year. Almost 4 million of the new cases of STDs each year occur in adolescents. Women generally suffer more serious STD complications than men, including pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and cervical cancer from the human papilloma virus.

About one-half of all new HIV infections in the United States are among people under age 25 years, and the majority are infected through sexual behavior. Compelling worldwide evidence indicates that the presence of other STDs increases the likelihood of both transmitting and acquiring HIV infection.

Arizona is one of the few states that does not administer the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Without the data from this survey of adolescents, there is no baseline measure of responsible sexual behavior that can be compared with national data or used as a measure of program effectiveness.

Objective #1 
Increase the proportion of adolescents who abstain from sexual intercourse.
 
Strategy 1.1 
Enhance collaboration among abstinence-only and abstinence-based groups.
Strategy 1.2 
Implement comprehensive education in the school system.
Strategy 1.3 
Expansion of school-age peer groups that promote abstinence.
Strategy 1.4 
Enhance inter-generational interventions.
Strategy 1.5 
Develop/enhance skills-building trainings for providers

Objective #2 
Increase the proportion of adolescents who use condoms if currently sexually active.
 
Strategy 2.1 
Enhance youth programs to include greater accessibility, more peer-based interventions, and new venues for programs.
Strategy 2.2 
Amend existing HIV prevention legislation (A.R.S. 15-716).
Strategy 2.3 
Develop/enhance Parent Education Programs.

Objective #3 
Reduce pregnancies among adolescents 15 -17 years old.
 
Strategy 3.1  
Enhance community education and support.
Strategy 3.2 
Develop/enhance parent education programs.
Strategy 3.3 
Enhance youth programs.
Strategy 3.4 
Develop new media campaigns.
Strategy 3.5 
Enhance faith-based and culturally-specific programs.
Strategy 3.6 
Facilitate increased focus from health insurance plans on this objective.

Objective #4 
Reduce sexually transmitted diseases.
 
Strategy 4.1  
Increase and enhance STD services, i.e., greater outreach, more multi-lingual services (personnel and literature), increased screening at Veteran's Administration Medical Centers (VAMC), Well Woman Programs, outreach to older adults, better coordination of mobile services in Maricopa County.
Strategy 4.2 
Enhance communication and collaboration with private provider, correctional systems, VAMC, school nurses, drug treatment providers, HIV and HCV programs.
Strategy 4.3 
Increase funding for STD Services.
Strategy 4.4 
Utilize new testing and laboratory technologies.
Strategy 4.5 
Increase education, training, and access to information in schools and for adult leaders of adolescent groups.
Strategy 4.6 
Increase capacity building efforts.
Strategy 4.7 
Establish higher priority for tribal services.

Objective #5 
Implement the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the relevant modules of the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
 
Strategy 5.1 
Identify funding to implement both surveys.
Strategy 5.2 
Obtain agreement from Arizona Department of Education to implement YRBS
Strategy 5.3 
Implement both surveys in accordance with approvals and funding.