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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary M. Aruda, PhD, RN, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (617) 355 - 7179, mary.aruda@tch.harvard.edu
While adolescent pregnancy rates have been decreasing, sexually transmitted disease rates for this age group have escalated, indicating the underlying behavior of unprotected sex remains an important health concern for this vulnerable population. This study explored factors which predict unprotected sexual activity in adolescent females. Three hundred and five teens completed a self-report questionnaire at the time of a pregnancy test; the paper and pencil items on the questionnaire addressed background characteristics, cognitive and affective variables, inclusive of a previously little explored concept-- fertility fears.
The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) guided the construction of the comprehensive assessment of variables in multiple domains that affected the three outcome measures of unprotected sex (condom non-use, birth control non-use, and choice of contraceptive method). A combination of logistic and multiple regression were used to construct three models to explain both the direct and indirect effects of the independent variables on the three dependent measures, providing a beginning profile of high-risk adolescent females. Fertility fears, measured as a single item response, emerged as a primary explanatory variable in the three final models. Fifty one percent of the sample reported that they worried that they could not get pregnant, revealing a potential new motivator for unprotected sexual activity.
Health professionals need to broaden both their assessment and interventions to include fertility fears as a potential motivator that underlies adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Learning Objectives: Participants will
Keywords: Adolescents, Sexual Risk Behavior
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.