142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Parental Monitoring Effects on Sexual Health Outcomes in Young African-American Males

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Kelley Hutchins, DO , LSU Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA
Ivy Terrell, MPH , Department of Pediatrics/Division of Adolescent Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Richard A. Crosby, PhD , Department of Health Behavior, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Ryan Pasternak, MD, MPH , Adolescent Medicine Program, Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Purpose: Young black men (YBM) are at high risk for adverse sexual health outcomes, specifically sexually transmitted infections (STI) and early parenthood. We examined whether parental monitoring (PM) impacts STI infection rates and/or pregnancy rates among YBM.

Methods: Sexually active (penile-vaginal sex) YBM 15-23 years of age were recruited from STI clinics in New Orleans, LA. A survey assessed participant living situation. Those 'Living at home with at least one parent/guardian' (324 participants/56.5%) completed a ‘Parental Monitoring Scale’ to assess the level of involvement of the primary caretaker. Higher scores represent greater levels of PM. The range was 10 – 45 with a mean of 29.3 (SD=7.0). Questions regarding pregnancy history, pregnancy intent, and STI history were included. 

Results: The mean PM score for those reporting a pregnancy history was 27.7 vs 30.3 for those not indicating a pregnancy (t = 3.03, df = 313, P = 0.001). The mean PM score for those reporting a current intent to cause a pregnancy was 28.5 vs 29.9 for those without current intent (t = 1.73, df = 322, P = 0.08). There was no measured effect of PM on either STI history or current STI diagnosis.

Conclusions: Findings support the hypothesis that PM can decrease early parenthood rates among sexually active YBM. However, there was no evidence that PM had any effect on STI incidence in this population. Future public health interventions for YBM should consider addressing both the youth and the primary guardian as this may reduce adverse sexual health outcomes.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the impact parental monitoring has on current or previous sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates among young African American males. Evaluate and discuss the impact parental monitoring has on young African American males causing pregnancy.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics' resident at LSUHSC, as well as a MPH student at Des Moines University, IA and have been working collaboratively with physicians on the impact parental monitoring has on health outcomes among young African American males.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2067.0: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues