Muña: Sexually active teens ‘a growing concern’

Sexually active teens who have unprotected sex is a growing concern for the Commonwealth Health Center, according to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña. 

A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 46 percent of CNMI high school students are sexually active and that 78 percent had unprotected sex.

Documents obtained by Saipan Tribune from the Public School System indicate similar results. 

The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, given to CNMI high school students annually, showed a vast portion of sexually active males and females: 49.1 percent of males have had sex. For female teens, 43 percent have had sex at least once. 

Among students who had sex within three months before the survey was conducted, only 37.4 percent used a contraceptive during their last contact. Of that number, 25.7 percent drank alcohol or used drugs before their last sexual encounter. 

The data also found that more than 80 percent of student respondents received education about AIDS and HIV infection in school. 

One public high school student who spoke on condition of anonymity said that she is alarmed by the numbers. “I wish more of my peers would understand the consequences of having unprotected sex. It is an issue that needs to be vigorously addressed,” she said.

In an interview, Muña said that CHC has been working with the Public School System “for the longest time.” She added, “They are our partners in all of our activities.”

Muña said that part of the grant requirements for the funds the hospital receives is to work with entities like the Public School System.

“We are serving the same population and we want to make sure that the students are safe and healthy in every aspect.”

For CHC’s part, Muña said that they are already heavily involved in conducting vaccinations. 

Although the survey does not clearly indicate the reasons behind unprotected sex among teens, Muña said that teens should not be afraid or ashamed of getting condoms. 

“We always protect the patient’s privacy. …If they are ashamed then we need to make sure we break that barrier, so that they are able to go and get it,” she said. “It shouldn’t be something difficult for them to get. This is for their health, this is for their life and future. We need to make sure that they are able to access that.”

She said that the hospital will do further review of the data and continue to reach out to students.

PSS has yet to issue an official statement about the survey results. Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan was not available to provide comments as of press time.

In a phone interview, Board of Education member Denise Tanya King said the best approach to addressing the issue is not from a textbook.

“The best approach is not by getting a textbook and looking at pages and reading it. What we need is children who are older now but became pregnant in high school to talk in the classroom about the difficulties they had while raising a child,” King said. “This would be the most effective way because they can relate to them, the struggles…and it will really impact them much greater than if they read something in a textbook.”

She added that children, particularly in a small community, do not feel comfortable going to the hospital and getting contraceptives.

“There needs to be a place, a safe haven, where children can get contraceptives. Parents should also be knowledgeable about the repercussions when children engage in premarital sex.” 

King explained that with the rise of teenage pregnancy, there “needs to be education at the adolescent level and as well as the adult level.”

King emphasized that parental involvement and “having the families involved in the process” is a key element to tackling the issue of premarital sex among teens. 

““You have to bring in the parental involvement element—that is something we as policy makers need to do a better job at doing,” she said.