The More You Know

When it comes to your health, the more you know the better off you are. And yes, this even applies to adolescents. [Why certain people insist on treating teenagers like mindless, irresponsible drones eludes me. I've always found these patients to be reasonable and quite eager to learn.]

A survey of 1,158 teenagers aged 14-19 years found that knowledge of emergency contraception (EC) was not associated with increased sexual risk-taking. When compared to those not aware of EC, those familiar with EC:

had their first sexual encounter a bit later (17.6 years vs. 16.7 years)

were significantly more likely to have used birth control during their last sexual encounter (83% vs. 17%)