A first-of-its kind study has found that one in four teenage girls likely has a sexually transmitted disease. The study was conducted by researching a cross-section of medical records for 893 girls nationwide.

"The teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of the girls studied; Chlamydia, which affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and genital herpes, 2 percent."

Though the data is based on records from 2003-2004, most believe it reflects current prevalence rates among teen girls. Some blame abstinence-only sex education programs that don't teach kids how to protect themselves if they do decide to have sex. Read more at Star-Telegram.com.

Labels: risky_behaviors, sex, sexually transmitted_diseases