Number of sexual partners and health lifestyle of adolescents. Use of the AMA Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services to address a basic research question.
OBJECTIVE
To expand understanding of the behavioral epidemiology of an important sexually transmitted disease risk factor within a clinical framework of the AMA Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS): Recommendations and Rationale.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of the fourth year of a longitudinal study of adolescent health behavior.


METHODS
High schools in a single major urban school district.


METHODS
Nine hundred and forty-six white, African American, and Hispanic sexually active adolescents.


METHODS
Number of sexual partners in previous year and other health-risk and health-protective behaviors. Measures are operationalized according to guidelines for adolescent preventive services recommendations.


RESULTS
Adolescents with 3 or more sexual partners annually were more involved with potentially health-harming behaviors such as illicit substance use and less involved with potentially health-protective behaviors such as seat belt use. These relationships were independent of sex, ethnic group, or socioeconomic status.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of sexual partners may be considered part of a larger pattern of adolescent health-risk and health-protective behaviors. The guidelines may provide a useful framework for clinical assessment of these patterns as part of a routine health care visit of adolescent patients.
Fortenberry
J D
JD
Department of Pediatrics, Riley Children's Hospital, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000574:American Medical Association; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data