A Racial/Ethnic Comparison of Teen Sexual Attitudes and Behavior

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare and contrast sexual attitudes and behavior of white, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and multi-racial/ethnic teens. Methods: Participants were 99,085 teens in sexual abstinence programs across 16 states. One behavioral measure and 10 attitudinal measures were tested for differences using a univariate general linear model, ANOVAs, and Tukey's post-hoc tests. Results: Statistically significant differences were found across the 9 racial/ethnic groups on most measures; Middle Eastern teens scored highest on abstinence attitudes and intentions whereas African-American teens scored lowest. Conclusions: Teen sexual attitudes and behavior can vary significantly by race/ethnicity and sex education programs may need to be more culturally sensitive.