Changes in sexual behavior among high-school students over a 40-year period
Open accessAbstract
The aim of this study was to investigate sexual behavior, contraceptive use, risk factors as well as sources of sex information among first-year high-school students in Sweden. Secondly, to assess differences between genders and study programs as well as changes over a 40-year period. A repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted in two cities. A questionnaire comprising 77 items was used. The study population consisted of 415 students (63.4% females). The median age of sexual intercourse was 15 years. In total, 37% had had sexual intercourse, compared to 56.3% in 2009 and 45% in 1999 (p < 0.001), and the proportion of students who had their first sexual intercourse was not influenced by gender. More students in vocational programs (46.3%), compared to theoretical (33.3%), had experience of at least one sexual intercourse (p = 0.019). The same extend of contraception use at first and latest intercourse was reported, compared to previous studies. Forty-nine percent were mostly informed about sex from the internet, while in previous years, magazines, family and youth clinics were the main information sources. Comparing over time, students were in general less sexually experienced and less engaged in non-penetrative sex and physical intimacy. These findings call for a new approach, when designing sex and relationship education and health-care counseling in adolescents.
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These sexual activity figures are much lower compared to previous Indian and international studies on a similar population.
“These figures are much lower compared to what authors found in previous Indian and international studies done on a similar population.61,62”
From Mental Health, Suicidality, Health, and Social Indicators Among College Students Across Nine States in India (2025) · cites this paper as [61]
The Results (Table 2) report that 37% of first-year high-school students in Sweden had had sexual intercourse, providing an international figure for a similar population. The cited paper does not report the citing study’s figures, so it cannot establish that they were “much lower”; it also provides no Indian comparison. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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- Authors
- Borneskog, C., Häggström-Nordin, E., Stenhammar, C., Tydén, T., & Iliadis, S. I.
- Affiliations
- Dalarna University (SE)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Iliadis, Stavros I.
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2021-07-07
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 13963-13963
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8263598
- OpenAlex
- W3180425101
- Cited by
- 16
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 3.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Uppsala University (464280711)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Health and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Keywords
- adolescent sexual behavior, high school students, contraceptive use, age at first sexual intercourse, gender differences, physical intimacy, sex and relationships education, temporal trends, Sweden
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Contraception Behavior, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Schools, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, Students, Sweden
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