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Arizona
Arizona has a lower AIDS rate than the national average and an STI rate near the national average, but has among the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation. Arizona also has among the worst condom use rates of any state in the nation.
| Teen Pregnancy Rate* | Teen Birth Rate* | AIDS Rate (Cases per 100,000 people) | STI Rate+ | % of high school students who used a condom at last sex | |
| Arizona | 89 | 62 | 9.2 | 82.1 | 56 |
| National | 70 | 42 | 12.5 | 117.4 | 62 |
*Per 1000 young women ages 15-19
+Because of concern over recent changes in Chlamydia reporting and relative low incidence of syphilis, we used the state's gonorrhea rate as a stand-in for sexually transmitted infection rates.
(Visit the Amplify Grading Standards page to learn how we assessed this grade. Report cards will be updated as new information becomes available.)
Did You Know?
Arizona’s high rates of AIDS and teen pregnancy indicate a serious need for improvement in youth sexual health. In January of 2008, Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano took a positive step when she rejected Title V funding for abstinence-only education, saying that “teenagers need to have complete information for their own health.” Arizona still does not mandate that sex ed be taught in the state’s public schools, even though almost 84,000 of the state’s teenagers are already sexually active.
Other facts about Arizona:
- Arizona has the nation’s third-highest teen pregnancy rate.
- There are over 6000 people living with HIV in Arizona.
- Arizona is one of seven states with laws against portraying homosexuality in a positive light in schools.
- Fourteen percent of Arizona’s population lives in poverty.
Looking for more information
Looking for more information on young people’s rights or reproductive and sexual health in Arizona? Check out these sites to learn more!
Learn more about HIV, STIs, teen pregnancy, and the factors that are putting young people at risk in your state and nationwide:
- Arizona’s Youth: Focus on Reproductive and Sexual Health – Learn the important facts in this Advocates for Youth fact sheet.
- Kaiser State Facts on HIV/AIDS – Statistics on HIV and AIDS in your state, plus many more health statistics. See how your state compares to other states and to national statistics.
- National Campaign to Prevent Teen And Unplanned Pregnancy - A detailed profile of teen life in your state, including teen population demographics, teen safer sex, and teen pregnancy in your state; check out how your state compares to other states and to national statistics!
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance Maps: Youth ages 15-19 contract almost half of the nation’s 19 million STIs every year. How is your state doing at STI prevention? Click through to a map of the United States showing each state’s STI rates.
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center – Many social factors contribute to risk for HIV, STIs, and teen pregnancy. See how your state compares in over 100 measures of well-being, including poverty, unemployment and underemployment, and health insurance coverage.
Learn more about sex education in Arizona: What does your state’s law say about sex education? Is sex education mandatory? Is it prohibited? Does your state teach abstinence-only education? The Sexuality Education and Information Council of the United States (SIECUS) has the facts on sex education policy and funding in your state. Or see Arizona laws governing sex education: Revised Statutes Sections 15-716,15-102, and R7-2-303.
Does Arizona ensure the safety of GLBTQ youth in schools? The Gay Lesbian Straight Educators Network (GLSEN) has examined school policies and programs and assessed each state’s efforts. Find out where your state is succeeding and where more work is needed.
Learn more about contraceptive services in Arizona: Where does your state rank on providing women the contraceptive access and reproductive health services they need? Does insurance cover birth control pills? How many family planning clinics are there? Find out in Contraception Counts, a report on your state from the Guttmacher Institute.
Know your rights: What are your rights to birth control, HIV testing, and abortion in Arizona? At what age can a teen get care without parental consent? What are the laws around minors and sex in Arizona? Sex, Etc. has the answers in their Sex in the States info on your state.
Additional State Resources:
Official Site
