The Sexual Network of a High School.
Sociologists
from Ohio State University (OSU) have mapped the structure of the
adolescent romantic and sexual network in a population of over 800
adolescents over 18 months. And they were quite surprised by the
results, which showed that, unlike many adult networks, there was no
core group of very sexually active people at the high school. Instead,
the romantic and sexual network at the school created long chains of
connections that spread out through the community, according to this OSU news release.
These results have important implications for preventing the spread
of STDs in teenage populations. Unlike in adult populations, in which
there are cores of sexually active people who are the main conduits of
disease and you can focus prevention efforts on them, you need to
educate the whole teenage population. Read more for other details, references and illustrations about this fascinating research. [Smart Mobs]