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Almost half of U.S. high-school students are sexually active. Based on data from a cross-sectional nationally representative CDC survey (a written questionnaire) of 15,000 9th- to 12th-grade students from 1999 through 2007, investigators estimated age at first intercourse (termed “sexual debut”).
Age at sexual debut varied substantially by sex, race, and ethnicity. Black males reported earlier ages at first intercourse than all other groups, and Asian males and females reported later ages than all other groups. The probability of sexual debut by age 17 was greatest for blacks (82% for males, 74% for females) and Latino males (69%), was intermediate for whites (58% for females, 53% for males), and was lowest for Asians (28% for females, 33% f…