BACKGROUND: Goals for reduction of adolescent American health risks include reduction of
prevalence of early initiation of sexual activity among teens in the United States to <15% for
fifteen year olds and <40% for seventeen year olds. Such a prevalence reduction would
concomitantly reduce the risks for both unwanted teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease,
including HIV/AIDS. METHODS: A population of Seventh-day Adventist youth surveyed in1989
reported a prevalence of teenage sexual activity <22%, less than half the percentage of sexual
activity observed in general population high school youth. This study evaluates the hypothesisthat
Adventist Lifestyle behaviors modify the risks associated in other studies with precocious
intercourse. An analysis of odds ratios for premature sexual activity for each of 40 variables forms
the basis for this study. In addition to the odds ratios associated with the use of tobacco, alcohol
and illegal drugs, odds ratios for participation in popular entertainment, physical activities, social
activities and culture specific behaviors are also studied. RESULTS: While Adventist youth show
a percentage of youth participating in early intercourse well below that of adolescents in the
general population, these youth show odds ratios for known risk behaviors higher than those
reported in another adolescent population by a recent similar study. Within this Adventist
population, many generally accepted behaviors of the average American populace appear to be
risk behaviors. This fact suggests the presence of an "interface" of potential risk behaviors to be
found in the undefined boundaries between Seventh-day Adventist culture and the general
American culture which bears further study. / Graduation date: 1993
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/36602 |
| Date | 11 January 1993 |
| Creators | Weinbender, Miriam L. M. |
| Contributors | Rossignol, Annette M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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