Eighty-six percent of teen guys who reported wearing a condom during their last sexual encounter said they masturbated during the past year, as opposed to only 44% of guys who did not masturbate, according to a new study.

The study — which surveyed 820 youths ages 14 to 17 to assess masturbation prevalence, frequency, and association with partnered sexual behaviors — notes that young guys who masturbate reported being more sexually active. When age and partner status were factored in, sexually active boys who masturbated were approximately eight times as likely to have used a condom during their last sexual experience.

Although a correlation between masturbation and condom use is not definitive, “the association of any behavior with increased condom use deserves further investigation, given the rates of [STDs] in adolescents,” asserts the report.

The researchers concluded masturbation is an important component of sexuality, yet they observed that discussing it remains taboo in the United States, even for many doctors.

“Health care providers should recognize that many teens masturbate and discuss masturbation with patients because masturbation is integral to normal sexual development,” the authors say. Trojan condom manufacturer Church & Dwight Co. supported the research, which was published as “Prevalence, Frequency, and Associations of Masturbation with Partnered Sexual Behaviors Among U.S. Adolescents” in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.