BEH4.B Sexual activity: Among those who reported having had sexual intercourse during the past 3 months, the percentage of high school students who reported use of birth control pills to prevent pregnancy before last sexual intercourse by gender, race and Hispanic origin, and grade, selected years 1991–2019

excel icon BEH4B Excel Table
excel icon BEH4B Standard Error Excel Table

Characteristic 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019
Total 20.8 18.4 17.4 16.6 16.2 18.2 17.0 17.6 16.0 19.8 18.0 19.0 18.2 20.7 23.0
Gender
Male 16.5 14.7 14.3 13.0 11.8 14.9 13.1 14.6 13.1 16.5 13.4 15.1 15.2 19.0 20.0
Female 25.0 22.3 20.4 20.5 20.4 21.1 20.6 20.6 18.7 23.0 22.6 22.4 21.3 22.4 25.7
Race and Hispanic origina
White, non-Hispanic 23.4 20.4 21.3 20.6 21.0 23.4 22.3 22.3 20.8 26.8 24.0 25.9 23.5 27.1 29.1
Black, non-Hispanic 16.8 15.1 10.2 11.9 7.7 7.9 7.9 10.0 9.1 8.1 10.1 8.2 9.0 13.2 12.9
Hispanic 13.2 12.4 11.4 9.5 7.8 9.6 11.2 9.8 9.1 10.8 10.6 9.0 11.8 12.1 15.4
Other, non-Hispanicb 17.2 16.4 9.9 11.0 14.2 10.7 13.5 13.2 14.0 17.9 10.2 20.7 15.2 16.3 22.4
Grade
9th grade 9.1 9.0 10.9 7.8 12.0 7.6 8.7 7.5 8.7 10.2 9.4 11.4 10.9 8.6 11.8
10th grade 18.3 13.7 12.2 12.0 9.3 15.8 12.7 14.3 11.6 14.7 14.9 16.7 15.9 17.0 17.4
11th grade 21.1 16.8 15.4 15.6 15.3 18.6 19.6 18.5 15.0 20.7 17.5 19.3 21.5 20.6 26.4
12th grade 27.0 25.8 25.0 24.0 24.9 26.3 22.6 25.6 23.5 27.6 25.1 23.7 20.1 27.2 26.7
a From 1991 to 2003, the 1977 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for data on race and ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. In each survey, a single-question format (approved by OMB) was used to ask about both race and ethnicity. In 2005, the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey applied OMB's 1997 revision to the 1977 directive and began asking about race and ethnicity in a two-question format. (A methodological study1 was conducted to confirm that trend analyses would not be affected by the change in format starting with the 2005 survey). In addition, note that data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately but are combined for reporting. Regardless of question format, the data were combined to create the following standard categories: White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; and Hispanic. Estimates are not shown separately for American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander races because of the small sample size for each group.
b Students were coded as "Other" if they (1) did not self-report as Hispanic and (2) selected "American Indian or Alaska Native," "Asian," or "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander" or selected more than one response to a question on race.
NOTE: Data for birth control pill use are based on the student's response to the question, "The last time you had sexual intercourse, what one method did you or your partner use to prevent pregnancy?" "Birth control pills" was one option; others were "I have never had sexual intercourse;" "No method was used to prevent pregnancy;" "Condoms;" "Depo-Provera (or any injectable birth control), Nuva Ring (or any birth control ring), Implanon (or any implant) or any IUD;" "Withdrawal;" "Some other method;" and "Not sure."
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
1 Brener, N.D., Kann, L., & McManus, T. (2003). A comparison of two survey questions on race and ethnicity among high school students. Public Opinion Quarterly, 67, 227–236.

Close Window