Department of Health Promotion Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
J Adolesc Health. 2013 Jun;52(6):779-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.12.005. Epub 2013 Feb 8.
To prospectively determine whether individual, family, and community assets help youth to delay initiation of sexual intercourse (ISI); and for youth who do initiate intercourse, to use birth control and avoid pregnancy. The potential influence of neighborhood conditions was also investigated.
The Youth Asset Study was a 4-year longitudinal study involving 1,089 youth (mean age = 14.2 years, standard deviation = 1.6; 53% female; 40% white, 28% Hispanic, 23% African American, 9% other race) and their parents. Participants were living in randomly selected census tracts. We accomplished recruitment via door-to-door canvassing. We interviewed one youth and one parent from each household annually. We assessed 17 youth assets (e.g., responsible choices, family communication) believed to influence behavior at multiple levels via in-person interviews methodology. Trained raters who conducted annual windshield tours assessed neighborhood conditions.
Cox proportional hazard or marginal logistic regression modeling indicated that 11 assets (e.g., family communication, school connectedness) were significantly associated with reduced risk for ISI; seven assets (e.g., educational aspirations for the future, responsible choices) were significantly associated with increased use of birth control at last sex; and 10 assets (e.g., family communication, school connectedness) were significantly associated with reduced risk for pregnancy. Total asset score was significantly associated with all three outcomes. Positive neighborhood conditions were significantly associated with increased birth control use, but not with ISI or pregnancy.
Programming to strengthen youth assets may be a promising strategy for reducing youth sexual risk behaviors.
前瞻性地确定个人、家庭和社区资产是否有助于青少年延迟首次性行为（ISI）的发生；对于已经开始发生性行为的青少年，帮助他们使用避孕措施并避免怀孕。本研究还调查了邻里条件的潜在影响。
青少年资产研究是一项为期 4 年的纵向研究，涉及 1089 名青少年（平均年龄=14.2 岁，标准差=1.6；53%为女性；40%为白人，28%为西班牙裔，23%为非裔美国人，9%为其他种族）及其父母。参与者居住在随机选择的普查地段。我们通过挨家挨户的上门宣传来完成招募。我们每年对每个家庭中的一名青少年和一名家长进行访谈。我们通过面对面访谈的方法评估了 17 项被认为可以在多个层面上影响行为的青少年资产（例如，负责任的选择、家庭沟通）。进行年度挡风玻璃巡回评估的训练有素的评估员评估邻里条件。
Cox 比例风险或边际逻辑回归模型表明，11 项资产（例如，家庭沟通、与学校的联系）与降低 ISI 风险显著相关；7 项资产（例如，对未来的教育期望、负责任的选择）与最后一次性行为中增加使用避孕措施显著相关；10 项资产（例如，家庭沟通、与学校的联系）与降低怀孕风险显著相关。总的资产得分与所有三个结果显著相关。积极的邻里条件与增加避孕措施的使用显著相关，但与 ISI 或怀孕无关。
加强青少年资产的方案可能是减少青少年性行为风险的一种有前途的策略。
