Seeds of Romance, The

NEA Today, Oct 2005

HERE'S HOW IT GOES IN HIGH-SCHOOL ROMANCE: Anthony "hooks up" with Britney, then Britney moves on to Craig, who eventually ditches her for Deborah, who leaves him a few months later for Everett (but never for Anthony), and so on down the line.

What you get, according to an Ohio State University professor who studied the sexual habits of teens at a Midwestern high school, is a long chain. Many students have one or two partners-very few are really promiscuous. In all likelihood, it reflects the old standard among teens: You can't date your old flame's new girl's old boyfriend.

The findings don't just make a provocative map-they also should help target sexually transmitted diseases among teens. While it may be possible to stop disease among adults by stopping key individuals, this study shows it's necessary to focus on broad interventions among teens.