title: Adolescent Reproductive Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs and Future Fatherhood.
abstract: With a growing focus on the importance of men's reproductive health, including preconception health, the ways in which young men's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) predict their reproductive paths are understudied. To determine if reproductive KAB predicts fatherhood status, timing and residency (living with child or not).
  
  
  
  Reproductive KAB and fatherhood outcomes were analyzed from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a 20-year, nationally representative study of individuals from adolescence into adulthood. Four measures of reproductive KAB were assessed during adolescence in waves I and II. A generalized linear latent and mixed model predicted future fatherhood status (nonfather, resident/nonresident father, adolescent father) and timing while controlling for other socio-demographic variables.
  
  
  
  Of the 10,253 men, 3,425 were fathers (686 nonresident/2,739 resident) by wave IV. Higher risky sexual behavior scores significantly increased the odds of becoming nonresident father (odds ratio [OR], 1.30; p < .0001), resident father (OR, 1.07; p = .007), and adolescent father (OR, 1.71; p < .0001); higher pregnancy attitudes scores significantly increased the odds of becoming a nonresident father (OR, 1.20; p < .0001) and resident father (OR, 1.11; p < .0001); higher birth control self-efficacy scores significantly decreased the odds of becoming a nonresident father (OR, .72; p < .0001) and adolescent father (OR, .56; p = .01).
  
  
  
  Young men's KAB in adolescence predicts their future fatherhood and residency status. Strategies that address adolescent males' reproductive KAB are needed in the prevention of unintended reproductive consequences such as early and nonresident fatherhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Electronic address: c-garfield@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Craig F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Garfield
authors.affiliation: School of Education, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rutsohn
authors.affiliation: Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: McDade
authors.affiliation: Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Emma K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.affiliation: Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Rebekah Levine
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Coley
authors.affiliation: Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Patricia Lindsay
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Chase-Lansdale
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D005220:Fathers / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007086:Illegitimacy / Q000523:psychology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Fatherhood; Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; Preconception health; Reproductive health; Young men's health