Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114146

Roy F. Oman, PhD¹, Sara K. Vesely, PhD², Cheryl Blalock Aspy, PhD³, Eleni Tolma, MPH PhD⁴, Trisha E. Mueller, MPH⁵, Diana Bensyl, PhD⁶, Sharon Rodine, MEd⁷, LaDonna Marshall⁷, and Janene D. Fluhr, MS⁸. (1) Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, Rm. 369, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, 405-271-2017 x46752, Roy-Oman@ouhsc.edu, (2) Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, PO Box 26901, CHB, Room 309, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, (3) Family & Preventive Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 900 NE 10th St. - FMC 2209, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, (4) Department of Health Pormotion Sciences, Univeristy of Oklahoma, P.O.Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, (5) Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, MS K-22, Atlanta, GA 30341, (6) Divsion of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, MS K-22, Atlanta, GA 30341, (7) HEART of OKC Project, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, 420 N.W. 13th St., #101, Oklahoma City, OK 73103, (8) College of Public Health, Health Promotion Sciences Department, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P O Box 26901, CHB-369, Oklahoma City, OK 73190

Sexual risk behavior poses a significant threat to the physical and social well-being of youth. Focusing on youth assets is one strategy for reducing youth sexual risk behavior. The Youth Asset Study is a new longitudinal study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of youth (Mean age= 14.4 + 1.6 years; 52% female; 43% white, 31% Hispanic, 26% black) and their parents (N=983 youth/parent pairs) designed to investigate relationships between assets and youth sexual and related risk behaviors. Using in-person, in-home interview methodology, baseline data were collected from youth and parents living in randomly-selected households. Individual logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for demographic variables, with 9 youth assets as the independent variables and “ever had sexual intercourse” as the dependent variable. Five assets (e.g., Family Communication, Responsible Choices) were each significantly related (p<.05) to whether youth had ever participated in sexual intercourse. Odds ratios (OR) ranged from 1.5 to 2.1 indicating that, compared to youth without any one of the five assets, youth with a specific asset were significantly more likely to never have participated in sexual intercourse. The OR for number of assets (ranging from 0 to 9) was 1.26 (p<.05), indicating the odds of never having had sexual intercourse was 1.26 times greater for each additional asset a youth possessed. The results support research suggesting that assets may have individual and cumulative protective effects from sexual risk behavior. Strengthening assets may be an effective intervention strategy for reducing teen sexual behavior.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify specific youth assets associated with a reduction in youth sexual behavior.
• Articulate possible contributions that the Youth Asset Study will make to the practice of preventing youth sexual and related risk behaviors.

Keywords: Youth, Sexual Risk Behavior

Related Web page: w3.ouhsc.edu/hps/YAS.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation