Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Estimates and Trends from Four Nationally Representative Surveys

Abstract

Trends over time and gender differences were similar across surveys, underscoring their value for tracking adolescent sexual behaviors. Differences in prevalence estimates across surveys probably result from differences in question wording, diverse interview settings and modes of data collection, and varying statistical power. These findings suggest a need to increase our understanding of how methodologies influence survey response in research on adolescents.