Midwestern Rural Adolescents' Oral Sex Experience

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of oral sexual activity in rural Midwestern adolescents. We also examined the correlates of a series of risk behaviors with oral sexual activity. A questionnaire based on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was distributed to 2121 rural middle and high school students in grades 6-12 across 5 rural counties in a Midwestern state. The schools within districts were stratified by grade level and a stratified random sample of schools was used (n = 49). A total of 2000 (94%) students completed the survey. The rural adolescents were: male (51%), White (85%), with an average age of 14.7 years (SD = 1.9). Overall, one-fourth (26%) of the students had engaged in sexual intercourse (8% of middle school and 39% of high school students). Slightly more than one-fourth of the students (29%) had engaged in oral sex (9% of middle school and 44% of high school students). Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and found 3 risk behaviors were statistically significantly associated with oral sexual behavior: ever having had sexual intercourse (16.6 times more likely to engage in oral sex), having drunk alcohol in the past 30 days (2.2 times more likely), and having smoked 1 or more cigarettes in the past 30 days (2.0 times more likely). Oral sexual activity is an established component of many rural adolescents' sexual experiences. These findings have important implications for sex education programs targeted to rural adolescent youths.