Prevalence of Early Sexual Debut Among Young Adolescents in Ten States of the United States

The young adolescents’ sexual behaviors are under-investigated. In this quantitative descriptive study, we examined the 2019 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey data of 66,366 young adolescents ages 10-14 from 10 states to determine the prevalence of early sexual debut among young adolescents. Complex sampling design was used to produce descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations to describe young adolescents' sexual behaviors. Early sexual debut was reported at nearly 8%, and 4% of those reporting the age of first sex had their first sexual intercourse before 13 years. Compared to the Whites, Black/African Americans (13.2% vs 5.1%, OR=4.51, 95% CI: 2.78-7.31) and Hispanic young adolescents (8.3 % vs 5.1 %, OR=1.44, 95% CI=1.13-1,84) were more likely to report having early sexual intercourse. Males were more likely to report having multiple sexual partners than females (48.1% vs 36.5%, OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.22-2.29) and were more likely to report using condoms during the last sex compared to their female counterparts (59.7% vs 50.8%, OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.06-1.94). This study suggests the need for more research on young adolescents’ sexual behaviors and develop sexual health interventions that target preadolescence.