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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mustafa C. Karakus, MA, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway P.Box: HH687, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-614-6870, mkarakus@jhsph.edu, Elizabeth T. Golub, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 627 N. Washington Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, and William W. Latimer, PhD, MPH, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Research suggests that alcohol use is associated with sexual risk behaviors among adolescents residing in the United States. In Mexico, a recent survey of school-based adolescents found that nearly half reported lifetime use of alcohol 1. However, there is little research available on the association between alcohol use and sexual behavior among Mexican adolescents. Presented are data from the International Study of Adolescent Health and Problem Behavior 2. School-based youths in grades 7 through 12 (N=1203) were surveyed in 1998. Lifetime alcohol use was categorized 3 as such: abstainers included those who had never used alcohol in their lifetime (46.1%); infrequent experimenters included those who had used alcohol between one-and-five times in their lifetime (22.7%); frequent experimenters included those who used alcohol more than five times in their lifetime yet had no DSM-IV symptoms of alcohol abuse/dependence (12.6%); problem drinkers included those who had diagnostic symptoms of abuse/dependence but no diagnosis (11.0%); and alcohol abuse/dependence included those meeting criteria for a DSM-IV diagnosis (7.8%). Controlling for age and gender, the data showed a strong gradient between alcohol use and the lifetime prevalence of having had sex. Relative to abstainers, infrequent drinkers were 2.5 times more likely to have had sex, frequent drinkers were 4.3 times more likely, problem drinkers were 7.5 times more likely, and adolescents meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence were 21.3 times more likely to have had sex in their lifetime. Policy implications with respect to alcohol use and abuse and HIV prevention will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to
Keywords: Adolescents, Alcohol Use
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.