More high school teens reporting they are virgins

ATLANTA — More than half of high school teens have reported that they are virgins, a new federal study has found.

The report, from data in the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, marks a reversal from about a decade ago when more than half of high schoolers said they had had sexual intercourse.

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked 13,601 teens about sexual behavior as well as other issues, such as substance abuse and physical activity, The Washington Times reported.

In 1990 the report found that 54.3 percent of teens in grades 9–12 had had intercourse. But by 2001, 54.4 percent of high schoolers said they had not had sex.

Some experts attribute the statistical change to abstinence education while others credit “please just wait” messages that are often linked to HIV/AIDS education.