Daily participation in sports and students' sexual activity.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies suggest that student athletes may be less likely than nonathletes to engage in sexual behavior. However, few have explored sexual risk behavior among athletes in early adolescence.


METHODS
In 2005, a sample of 10,487 students in 26 Los Angeles public middle and high schools completed a self-administered survey that asked about their demographic characteristics, sports participation, sexual behaviors and expectations, and parental relationships. Chi-square analyses compared reported levels of daily participation in sports, experience with intercourse, experience with oral sex and condom use at last intercourse by selected characteristics. Predictors of sexual experience and condom use were assessed in multivariate logistic regression analyses.


RESULTS
One-third of students reported daily participation in sports. This group had higher odds of ever having had intercourse and ever having had oral sex than their peers who did not play a sport daily (odds ratios, 1.2 and 1.1, respectively). The increases in risk were greater for middle school sports participants than for their high school counterparts (1.5 and 1.6, respectively). Among sexually experienced students, daily sports participants also had elevated odds of reporting condom use at last intercourse (1.4).


CONCLUSIONS
Students as young as middle school age who participate in sports daily may have an elevated risk for STDs and pregnancy. Health professionals should counsel middle school athletes about sexual risk reduction, given that young students may find it particularly difficult to obtain contraceptives, STD testing and prevention counseling.
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention, Behavioral Interventions and Research Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA. mhabel@cdc.gov
Melissa A
MA
Habel
Patricia J
PJ
Dittus
Christine J
CJ
De Rosa
Emily Q
EQ
Chung
Peter R
PR
Kerndt
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires