Center on Child and Family Outcomes, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
J Adolesc Health. 2010 Jul;47(1):26-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.12.032. Epub 2010 Mar 15.
To examine rates and patterns of health-risk behavior (e.g., sexuality, depression/suicidality, substance use, delinquency) among a national probability sample of youth active to the child welfare/child protective services system. Recent federal legislation, P.L. 110-351, encourages child welfare systems, Medicaid, and pediatric experts to collaborate to ensure youth entering foster care receive comprehensive health examinations.
Analysis of baseline caregiver, caseworker, and child interviews, and assessment data for a subsample (n = 993) of youth, aged 11-15 years, from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability sample of children and adolescents undergoing investigation for abuse or neglect.
Almost half of the sample (46.3%) endorsed at least one health-risk behavior. On Poisson multivariate regression modeling, factors related to higher rates of health-risk behaviors included older age, female gender, abuse history, deviant peers, limited caregiver monitoring, and poor school engagement.
Given the heightened vulnerability of this population, early screening for health-risk behaviors must be prioritized. Further research should explore specific subpopulations at risk for health-risk behaviors and possible interventions to change these youths' trajectories.
调查参与儿童福利/儿童保护服务系统的全国概率抽样青年中健康风险行为（如性行为、抑郁/自杀倾向、物质使用、犯罪）的发生率和模式。最近的联邦立法 P.L. 110-351 鼓励儿童福利系统、医疗补助和儿科专家合作，以确保进入寄养的青年接受全面的健康检查。
对全国儿童和青少年福利调查的一个子样本（n = 993）的照顾者、社工和儿童访谈和评估数据进行分析，这是一个对虐待或忽视进行调查的全国儿童和青少年概率抽样。
样本中近一半（46.3%）的人至少有一项健康风险行为。在泊松多元回归模型中，与更高健康风险行为发生率相关的因素包括年龄较大、女性、虐待史、行为偏差的同龄人、照顾者监督有限以及学业参与度低。
鉴于该人群的高度脆弱性，必须优先考虑对健康风险行为进行早期筛查。进一步的研究应该探索处于健康风险行为风险中的特定亚人群，以及可能改变这些青年轨迹的干预措施。
