Practicing public health to identify positive influences in the lives of inner-city youth in Albany, New York

Inner-city youth are at risk for a number of negative health outcomes, including sexually transmitted diseases and violence. Positive influences in the lives of teens can be used to impact decision-making, combat negative behavior, and improve health outcomes. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted among male and female inner-city teens aged 13 to 18 years who attend the Saturday Night Teen Program (STNP) at the Albany, New York, YMCA. STNP, which was developed in 2000 in response to a growing gang problem, offers teens a safe place to spend their Saturday nights. Over 1,000 teens participate in STNP each year. A total of 64 teens from STNP participated in focus groups and 150 teens participated in individual interviews. Participants were asked to identify positive influences in their lives, as well as other positive influences that may be missing from their lives. Prompted questions were asked about the importance of specific positive influences, including school, family, friends, participation in faith-based and/or community organizations, mentors/mentoring programs, sports, other activities outside of school, and the Saturday Teen Night Program. Lessons learned from the focus groups and individual interviews and recommendations for future directions will be made.