Fewer Teens Are Getting Formal Sex Ed, Study Finds

Many teens are getting less sex ed, at least in a formal setting, and many U.S. teens are not getting educated about sex   at all, according to " Changes in Adolescents' Receipt of Sex Education, 2006-2013 " by  Laura Lindberg , principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, et al. For the study, Dr. Lindberg and her colleagues reviewed data on 15- to 19-year-olds from the 2006-2010 and 2011-2013 rounds of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Survey for Family Growth. The teens who said they received a formal  education about birth control  went down from 70 percent to 60 percent among females, and 61 percent to 55 percent among males. And, in 2011-2013, 43 percent of adolescent females and 57 percent of adolescent males received no  info on birth control   before they first had sex. 

Bustle, April 15, 2016

KU raises awareness for HPV-related cancers, vaccination

Even though Kansas City, Kan., has a  National Cancer Institute-designated   provider, one statistic continues to unnerve Dr.  Roy Jensen : Kansas has the nation's lowest rate of human papillomavirus vaccination rates.

Kansas City Business Journal, April 15, 2016

Here's a disturbing calculation, cited in Zimbardo's book: Let's say, Zimbardo suggests, that a 15-year-old boy watches a couple hours of porn a week. He has sex for the first time around the average age of 17. That's nearly 1,400 pornographic experiences, a huge dose of virtual sex education, before anyone actually does the deed in the real world. Mix in drugs, add video games, Zimbardo says, and the moodles ("man-poodles" unable to care for themselves) may never grow up.

The Globe and Mail, April 14, 2016

African-American communities tend to assume mental health as a forbidden topic, even though it has been found that across the country, an estimated 14.8 million people go through depression annually. The elderly members of the family usually suggest black men to avoid any professional health assistance for depression.They are instead advised to get engrossed in prayers to discover peace in scriptures. Also, they are urged to be strong, behave like a man, and not a worthless person. Limited research has been conducted on African-American men and depression among them. However, a research paper was published in 2015 in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved revealed that African American males who go through depression very rarely opt for mental healthcare and also experience overall highest mortality levels among all the racial and ethnic groups present in the United States.

Maine News Online, April 14, 2016

Infertility is a silent problem that obese men have to face. This is a health issue that deserves attention from policymakers and the media.

The increasing number of overweight/obese individuals has established obesity as one of the most relevant health problems for years to come. Subfertility or infertility are silent problems that overweight/obese men have to face. This is particularly relevant since there is an enormous increase of children, adolescents and young adult men who are overweight or obese. This is a health issue  that should be carefully addressed and deserves attention from policymakers and the media.

AAAS, April 14, 2016

By the time they are in 11th grade, three fourths of Canadian teenagers have engaged in genital fondling and half have engaged in oral sex or vaginal intercourse,  according to 2006 study . Yet, a recent study carried out at the University of New Brunswick focusing on 260 sexually active 16 to 21 year olds found that more than half reported a sexual problem. Of those, half experienced significant distress from the sexual difficulty. Nearly a quarter of the male participants reported difficulties with erectile functioning, the same number experienced low sexual desire, and 11 per cent reported problems with orgasms (often reaching orgasm too quickly). Among the female sexually active adolescents, nearly a quarter reported low sexual desire and difficulties reaching orgasm were also common.

The Globe and Mail, April 13, 2016

Young male gamers who strongly identify with male characters in sexist, violent video games show less empathy than others toward female violence victims, a new study found. After playing a violent, sexist game, these male players reported lower levels of sympathy and compassion (compared to those who played games without a sexist component) when shown a photo illustration depicting an adolescent girl who had been physically abused by an adolescent boy.

Science Daily, April 13, 2016

Not all cases of HPV are created equal: while four in five adults will develop genital HPV cases throughout their lifetime-epidemiologists  call it   'the common cold' of sexual activity-the prevalence of oral HPV is far lower, hovering somewhere  around 7 per cent   of the general population, with a higher proportion of men affected.The differences are significant for two reasons-firstly in the purely statistical sense, and secondly, in the sense that epidemiologists aren't really sure why men seem more susceptible.The answer, D'Souza suspected, might have something to do with oral sex.

Marking Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month,   Healio Internal Medicine   presents the latest research and information on sexual assault.

Military sexual trauma among males higher than previously reported

Recent data utilizing a novel reporting technique indicate a rate of male military sexual trauma more than 15 times higher than the rate based on traditional reporting techniques.   Read more.  

Sexual violence risk higher for men and women with disabilities

Men and women with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to be victims of current and lifetime sexual violence, according to research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.   Read more.  

One-third of adolescent males with a history of sexual assault attempt suicide

Recent analyses of Youth Risk Behavior Surveys indicated that one-third of adolescent males who experienced sexual assault attempted suicide.   Read more.

Helio, April 13, 2016

"We really don't know why girls are surpassing boys -- that's the next question we want to answer," she said.Among the possible explanations, according to Cheng: drinking has become more socially acceptable. Also, because girls typically reach puberty sooner, some start engaging in risky behaviors such as drinking earlier. It might also be that younger girls are spending time with older boys, "so there is more exposure to drinking," she added.

US News, April 12, 2016

Dr. Eric Hoskins said Tuesday he was "deeply disturbed" to see a   study of more than six million Canadians births   revealing a greater presence of boys among Indian-born mothers may be linked in part to second-trimester abortions after parents can learn the baby's gender."No health-care provider, including physicians, should, in any circumstances, be providing or supporting individuals or families that are attempting to determine the sex of their child in order to secure a sex-selective abortion," Hoskins told reporters."This is an issue of gender equality and equity and (the behaviour) has no place in Canada, let alone in Ontario."

The Star, April 12, 2016

Recommendations have been developed to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake, according to an American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) special article published online April 11 in the   Journal of Clinical Oncology. ASCO encourages incorporation of strategies to increase HPV vaccination, such as education and awareness, which includes dissemination of evidence-based information to the public, professionals, and policymakers. Improvements in clinical service delivery should be fostered, including promotion of HPV vaccines with other recommended vaccines for young adolescents, and providing strong recommendations for vaccination. Coverage, access, and incentives for vaccination should be considered, including delivery at multiple sites, one of which should be schools. Oncology providers should be aware of established guidelines, raise awareness of HPV-related cancers and the role of vaccinations, and serve as community educators.

Medical Express, April 12, 2016

More and more teenage boys are paying prostitutes in exchange for sex. Doctors are concerned that this could lead to the teenagers' higher chances of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases and infecting other people. In a study conducted between 2009 and 2014, around 300 heterosexual boys aged between 16 and 19 were found to have visited a government specialist clinic that treats sexually transmitted infections,  the Straits Times  reported. Only 15 percent of boys surveyed who went to the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Clinic between 2006 and 2009 said they had sex with prostitutes.

Parent Herald, April 11, 2016

The Weekly News Roundup is produced by The Partnership for Male Youth and is released every Monday. 

For more information contact Dennis J. Barbour, JD. News Roundup editor and President/CEO of the Partnership, at [email protected].

The  Partnership for Male Youth is a collaboration among 23 national organizations and representation from six federal agencies. It is led by a multidisciplinary and multispecialty steering committee and advisory council. The Partnerships's flagship effort, released in January 2014, is  The Health Provider Toolkit for Adolescent and Young Adult Males.