In Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS) the recommendation is that all youth receive annual health guidance regarding responsible sexual behaviors, including abstinence.
Latex condoms to prevent STDs, including HIV infection, and appropriate methods of birth control should be made available, as should instructions on how to use them effectively.
For sexually active youth, there should be annual STD screenings and confidential HIV screenings.
Sexually active female adolescents should be screened annually for cervical cancer by use of Pap test.
Healthy People 2010 outlines 4 critical objectives* related to adolescent sexuality.
- Reduce pregnancies among adolescent females.
- Reduce number of cases of HIV infection among adolescents.
- Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults with Chlamydia trachomatis infections.
- Increase the proportion of adolescents who abstain from sexual intercourse or use condoms if currently sexually active.
*Find a list of the 21 Critical Healthy People 2010 objectives at the National Adolescent Health Information Center