title: Sexual activity and contraceptive use among low-income urban black adolescent females.
abstract: A modified form of Nathanson and Becker's (1983) Health Belief Model Questionnaire and other measures designed to assess cognitive processing were administered to low-income black adolescent female clients of an inner-city comprehensive health care clinic. The purpose of the study was to explore determinants of sexual activity and contraceptive use. Subjects were classified as not sexually active (n = 50), sexually active/noncontracepting (n = 20), or sexually active/contracepting (n = 72). Not sexually active subjects tended to be younger, more career motivated, to have a father at home, to be more influenced by family values, and to have more conservative attitudes regarding adolescent sexuality than did sexually active subjects. Sexually active/noncontracepting subjects tended to report fewer benefits and more barriers to the use of contraception. Level of cognitive processing did not differ among the three groups, but was at a lower-than-expected level for age. Finally, inconsistent contraceptive use was common to both sexually active groups.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Children and Youth Project, Dallas 75235.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCreary
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires