http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18093769/

Abstinence students still having sex
Study tracked 2,057 young people in government-funded programs

Updated: 6:35 p.m. ET April 13, 2007

WASHINGTON - {AP}Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs
were just as likely to have sex a few years later as those who did not,
according to a long-awaited study mandated by Congress.

Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes reviewed
reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not
attend the classes, and they first had sex at about the same age as
their control group counterparts - 14.9 years, according to Mathematica
Policy Research Inc.

The federal government now spends about $176 million annually on
abstinence-until-marriage education. Critics have repeatedly said they
don't believe the programs are working, and the study will give them
reinforcement.

However, Bush administration officials cautioned against drawing
sweeping conclusions from the study. They said the four programs
reviewed - among several hundred across the nation - were some of the
very first established after Congress overhauled the nation's welfare
laws in 1996.

Not like vaccines
Officials said one lesson they learned from the study is that the
abstinence message should be reinforced in subsequent years to truly
affect behavior.

"This report confirms that these interventions are not like vaccines.
You can't expect one dose in middle school, or a small dose, to be
protective all throughout the youth's high school career," said Harry
Wilson, the commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau at the
Administration for Children and Families.

For its study, Mathematica looked at students in four abstinence
programs around the country as well as students from the same
communities who did not participate in the abstinence programs. The
2,057 youths came from big cities - Miami and Milwaukee - as well as
rural communities - Powhatan, Va., and Clarksdale, Miss.

The students who participated in abstinence education did so for one to
three years. Their average age was 11 to 12 when they entered the
programs back in 1999.

Mathematic then did a follow up survey in late 2005 and early 2006. By
that time, the average age for participants was about 16.5. Mathematica
found that about half of the abstinence students and about half from the
control group reported that they remained abstinent.

"I really do think it's a two-part story. First, there is no evidence
that the programs increased the rate of sexual abstinence," said Chris
Trenholm, a senior researcher at Mathematica who oversaw the study.
"However, the second part of the story that I think is equally important
is that we find no evidence that the programs increased the rate of
unprotected sex."

Trenholm said his second point of emphasis was important because some
critics of abstinence programs have contended that they lead to less
frequent use of condoms.

Mathematica's study could have serious implications as Congress
considers renewing this summer the block grant program for abstinence
education known as Title V. The federal government has authorized up to
$50 million annually for the program. Participating states then provide
$3 for every $4 they get from the federal government. Eight states
decline to take part in the grant program.

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups believe the federal government should
use that money for comprehensive sex education, which would include
abstinence as a piece of the curriculum.

"Members of Congress need to listen to what the evidence tells us," said
William Smith, vice president for public policy at the Sexuality
Information and Education Council of the United States, which promotes
comprehensive sex education.

"This report should give a clear signal to members of Congress that the
program should be changed to support programs that work, or it should
end when it expires at the end of June," Smith said.

Smith also said he didn't have trouble making broader generalizations
about abstinence programs based on the four reviewed because "this was
supposed to be their all-star lineup."

But a trade association for abstinence educators emphasized that the
findings represent less than 1 percent of all Title V abstinence
projects across the nation.

"This study began when (the programs) were still in their infancy," said
Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education
Association. "The field of abstinence has significantly grown and
evolved since that time and the results demonstrated in the Mathematica
study are not representative of the abstinence education community as a
whole."

The four programs differed in many respects. One was voluntary and took
place after school. Three had mandatory attendance and served youth
during the school day. All offered more than 50 hours of classes. Two
were particularly intensive. The young people met every day of the
school year.

Common topics included human anatomy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Also, classes focused on helping students set personal goals and build
self-esteem. The young people were taught to improve communication
skills and manage peer pressure.


--
Fundies and trolls are cordially invited to
shove a wooden cross up their arses and rotate
at a high rate of speed. I trust you'll
be 'blessed' with a plethora of splinters.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18093769/

Abstinence students still having sex
Study tracked 2,057 young people in government-funded programs

Updated: 6:35 p.m. ET April 13, 2007

WASHINGTON - {AP}Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs
were just as likely to have sex a few years later as those who did not,
according to a long-awaited study mandated by Congress.

Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes reviewed
reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not
attend the classes, and they first had sex at about the same age as
their control group counterparts - 14.9 years, according to Mathematica
Policy Research Inc.