Adolescence and sexual behavior. Trends and implications for STD.

Teenage sexual activity became more common in the 1970s, and that trend may continue in this decade. Teenagers have thus established themselves as an important component of the population at risk of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Adolescents exhibit many of the same features of sexual behavior seen in the adult population. However, adolescents' abilities to recognize, evaluate symptoms of, and seek treatment for STD are generally limited. Many teenagers are hesitant to admit that they have begun sexual activity or that something like STD could happen to them. The combination of these factors with generally liberalizing trends in sexual behavior in the last decade has elevated the risk of STD for teenagers and made the job of adolescent health care providers more difficult.