Historically, the focal point of the discourse on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents has been teen pregnancy, and the population of interest has been adolescent females ages 10-14 and ages 15-19. Issues related to the sexual and reproductive health of young males were seldom considered, as reflected in the type of data collected—or not collected—for male and female teens. In the late 1980s, this began to change with an increased emphasis on issues related to male teens, in part due to the spread of infections such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and chlamydia. Our knowledge about the sexual and reproductive health outcomes and behaviors of young men of color (Hispanic or Latino, black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) is shaped by the methods used to gather and analyze the relevant data. These methods and the resulting data, however, do not always accurately reflect trends for this group. This report traces our knowledge about the sexual and reproductive health of young men of color from outcomes to behaviors, and then discusses some of the complexities associated with studying this population.

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The executive summary for this publication can be found here.