Risk behaviors of Dominican adolescents in their homeland and in the United States.
BACKGROUND
Adolescence is a time of developmental change. The major task of adolescence is to become an independent individual capable of functioning as a contributing adult within culturally expected norms. It is often accompanied by frustration and difficulties with adjustments. One typical response of adolescents to these changes is engaging in high-risk behaviors. The purpose of this study was to compare self-reported high risk behaviors that may lead to unintentional and intentional injuries among adolescents living in the Dominican Republic and Dominican adolescents living in the United States.


METHODS
This study used a cross-sectional, comparative design with data collection sites in Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic, and Boston, MA, United States. Data were collected using the 99-item 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.


RESULTS
Findings indicated that adolescents in both groups reported similar risk behaviors in all areas; however, there were few differences between the two groups that did exist.


CONCLUSIONS
To educate youth regarding outcomes of high-risk behaviors, it is necessary for providers to engage in discussion with adolescents regarding specific risk behaviors that are commonly practiced in their homeland or in their cultural groups.
Babington
Lynn M
LM
School of Nursing, Bouvé College of Health Science, Northeastern University, Robinson Building 401B, Boston, MA 02115, USA. l.babington@neu.edu
Kelley
Barbara R
BR
Patsdaughter
Carol A
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004293:Dominican Republic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population