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

Abstract #119236

Priya E. Mammen, MPH, School of Medicine, Temple University, 3420 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, (215) 292-3008, pmammen@temple.edu and Paul Lyons, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, 3400 North Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140.

Background: Most significant causes of morbidity during adolescence are related to high risk behaviors. Prior studies indicate that urban minority teens are more vulnerable to the adverse outcomes of such behavior. “Cluster behaviors” of high risk have been described in the literature, but few studies have investigated the possible relation between exposure to violence and sexual risk behaviors. Specific Aims: This study explores the relationship between exposure and witness to violence in neighborhood, school or home environments with increased sexual risk behaviors through survey data of adolescent girls, aged 13 to 17, of low socio-economic status accessing routine and preventative health services at an urban teaching hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional, facility based, single round retrospective survey was administered to adolescent girls presenting to Temple University Hospital Adolescent Clinic. A 35 item instrument consisting of dichotomous, continuous, and Likert-type questions was developed to assess witness to physical violence and sexual risk behaviors. Results: Preliminary analysis using logistic regression models indicates that increased exposure to violence in any of the three domains of adolescent life is positively associated with increased sexual risk behaviors within the study population. Conclusions: Evidence from this study, suggesting a positive correlation between exposure to violence and sexual risk behaviors in a subpopulation of urban adolescent girls, could serve to target methods and practices within the clinical setting which might better identify girls who will engage in high risk sexual behaviors and allow for attempted intervention by health care providers prior to associated adverse outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize exposure to violence as a possible determinant of adolescent sexual risk behaviors.
• Develop stratification strategies to assess risk among adolescent girls presenting to urban health care settings.
• Identify potential protective factors among urban adolescent girls.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Sexual Risk Behavior

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.