The Centers for Disease Control delivered a little healthier news report about the sexual behaviors of the 15- to 24-year old age group:

Fewer teens and young adults are having sex, a government survey shows, and theories abound for why they’re doing it less.  Experts say this generation may be more cautious than their predecessors, more aware of sexually spread diseases.  Or perhaps emphasis on abstinence in the past decade has had some influence.

Or maybe they’re just too busy.

“It’s not even on my radar,” said 17-year-old Abbey King of Hinsdale, Ill., a competitive swimmer who starts her day at 5 a.m. and falls into bed at 10:30 p.m. after swimming, school, weight lifting, running, more swimming, homework and a volunteer gig working with service dogs for the disabled.

The study [released March 3, 2011] is based on interviews of about 5,300 young people, ages 15 to 24.  It shows the proportion in that age group who said they’d never had oral, vaginal or anal sex rose in the past decade from 22 percent to about 28 percent.

There are other surveys of sexual behavior, but this is considered the largest and most reliable.  “It’s the gold standard,” said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Read the AP news release here.