Adolescent health in the Caribbean: risk and protective factors.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to identify, among youths, factors associated with characteristics such as poor health status, substance use, and suicide risk and to explore the extent to which the risk and protective factors identified cut across health-compromising behaviors.


METHODS
A survey was administered to representative samples of young people from 9 Caribbean countries.


RESULTS
Physical/sexual abuse and having a friend or relative who had attempted suicide were associated with an increased prevalence of health-compromising behaviors. Connectedness with parents and school and attendance at religious services were associated with fewer health risk behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
When the identified risk and protective factors were compared with those seen among young people in the United States, similarities as well as important differences were found.
Blum
Robert W
RW
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA. blumx001@umn.edu
Halcón
Linda
L
Beuhring
Trish
T
Pate
Ernest
E
Campell-Forrester
Sheila
S
Venema
Anneke
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data