What African-American middle school youth report about risk-taking behaviors.
BACKGROUND
African-American youth represent the heaviest burden for HIV in all U.S. ethnic groups. The risk assessment was conducted with a group of suburban and urban African-American middle school children prior to the implementation of a faith-based substance abuse and HIV prevention program. The purpose of the study on risk-taking was to examine the sample's level and predictors of social adaptation and risk-taking processes and to examine their ideas about risk and risk-taking behavior.


METHODS
A correlation design was used to determine relationships between risky behaviors and scores for risk taking and social adaptation. A descriptive design guided open-ended questions about risk and risk-taking behaviors. Data were collected in two youth ministries. The nonprobability sample consisted of 45 male and female subjects in the suburban pre-intervention group and 39 male and female subjects in the urban comparison group.


RESULTS
Findings include a statistically significant relationship between male gender and alcohol use and risk-taking scores in the suburban pre-intervention group; in addition, sexual activity and drug use were predictive of higher risk-taking scores in the urban comparison group. The urban comparison group also reported significantly higher risk-taking behaviors than did the suburban group.


CONCLUSIONS
Data from this study suggest the need for substance abuse and HIV prevention programs for middle school youth before problem behaviors become established.
Busen
Nancy H
NH
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Nursing, 6901 Bertner, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Nancy.H.Busen@uth.tmc.edu <Nancy.H.Busen@uth.tmc.edu>
Marcus
Marianne T
MT
von Sternberg
Kirk L
KL
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013383:Suburban Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D014505:Urban Population