Ellen J M, Aral S O, Madger L S
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Sex Transm Dis. 1998 Mar;25(3):125-9. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199803000-00002.
African-American adolescents have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) of any racial/ethnic group of adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the degree to which racial/ethnic differences in sexual behaviors account for African-American adolescents' higher rates of STDs.
A secondary analysis of data collected as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey supplement to the 1992 National Health Interview Survey was conducted. The sample included 5,189 nationally representative civilian noninstitutionalized sexually experienced United States adolescents 14 to 21 years of age.
The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for a reported history of an STD for African-American adolescents was 3.86 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.57, 9.50). The STD risk for African-American youth increased with the adjustment for other sociodemographic factors (OR = 4.13; CI = 1.71, 9.99) and decreased with the adjustment for sexual behaviors (OR = 3.67; CI = 1.55,8.66).
Differences in sexual behaviors do not fully account for African-American adolescents' increased risk for STDs. Interventions designed to reduce sexual risk taking among African-American adolescents may not ameliorate racial/ethnic differences in rates of STDs.
非裔美国青少年的性传播疾病（STD）发病率在所有青少年种族/族裔群体中最高。本研究的目的是确定性行为方面的种族/族裔差异在多大程度上导致了非裔美国青少年较高的性传播疾病发病率。
对作为1992年国家健康访谈调查补充内容的青少年风险行为调查所收集的数据进行了二次分析。样本包括5189名具有全国代表性的14至21岁有性经历的美国非机构化平民青少年。
经年龄和性别调整后，非裔美国青少年报告有性传播疾病病史的优势比（OR）为3.86（95%置信区间[CI]=1.57,9.50）。在对其他社会人口学因素进行调整后，非裔美国青少年的性传播疾病风险增加（OR=4.13；CI=1.71,9.99），而在对性行为进行调整后风险降低（OR=3.67；CI=1.55,8.66）。
性行为差异并不能完全解释非裔美国青少年性传播疾病风险增加的原因。旨在降低非裔美国青少年性风险行为的干预措施可能无法改善性传播疾病发病率方面的种族/族裔差异。
