An Investigation of the Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Policies on Youth Risky Sexual Behaviors

摘要

In recent years there has been widespread public concern with the sexual behavior of teen-agers. Interest in this issue has been brought about mainly by the problems of teen pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teen rates of pregnancy and out-of-wedlock birth in the United States are high by historical standards and high relative to other developed countries. Between 1940 and 1994, the rate of out-of-wedlock births among women aged 15-19 increased from 7 per 1,000 to 46 per 1,000, and even the much heralded decline since 1994 leaves the rate of out-of-wedlock births at about where it was in 1990 (Stephanie J. Ventura and Christine A. Bach-rach, 2000).