US Teenagers Research Articles

Pregnancy in Adolescence

In this issue ofThe Journal, Spitz et al 1 examine child-bearing rates for US teenagers in the decade of the 1980s. The authors wisely divide these data into 5-year periods. To have done otherwise would have been misleading, for these rates prove to have been mercurial: stable from 1980 to 1985, markedly increased for 1985 to 1990. An analysis of more recent data shows rates declining in 1991 to 1992. 2 Accordingly, before attributing meaning to these data, one must take a longer view. In the 1970s, birth rates among adolescents declined sharply, probably owing to the legalization and availability of abortion; for reasons that are not clear, these rates then leveled off until 1988, when they rose to a new peak for 10- to 17-year-olds. 3(p334) See also p 989. Using as the denominator the numbers of sexually active adolescent girls rather than all those in a given

Cigarette smoking and its risk factors among elementary school students in Beijing.

This study investigated patterns of and risk factors for smoking among elementary school children in Beijing, China. In 1988, anonymous questionnaires were administered to a multistage stratified cluster sample of 16996 students, aged mostly 10 to 12, in 479 fourth- to sixth-grade classes from 122 Beijing elementary schools. Approximately 28% of boys and 3% of girls had smoked cigarettes. The most frequently cited reasons for smoking initiation were "to imitate others' behavior" and "to see what it was like." Girls were more likely to get cigarettes from home than to purchase their own. Having close friends who smoked and being encouraged by close friends to smoke were strong risk factors for smoking. Smoking was also associated with lower parental socioeconomic status; having parents, siblings, or teachers who smoked; buying cigarettes for parents; performing poorly in school; and not believing that smoking is harmful to health. Gender differences in smoking prevalence among adolescents in China are larger than those among US teenagers, whereas the proximal risk factors for smoking are similar. Major efforts are needed to monitor and prevent smoking initiation among Chinese adolescents, particularly girls.

Adult involvement in teenage childbearing and STD

Many of the proposed counter measures to US teenage pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted diseases center on sex and abstinence education. A tabulation by the California Center for Health Statistics of 46,511 marital and unwed births among school-age girls in 1993 showed that only 29% were fathered by school-age peers 10-18 years old; 71%, or over 33,000, were fathered by adult post high-school men whose mean age was 22.6 years. Even among junior high school mothers 15 and younger, most births are fathered by adult men 6-7 years their senior. Studies of 535 pregnant and parenting teenagers (mostly Whites) by researchers in Washington state and of 445 teenage mothers (most nonWhites) in Chicago found that large majorities had histories of rapes and sexual abuse before age 12, inflicted mainly by adults who were at least 5-10 years older than their early adolescent girlfriends. 40% of US girls live near or below poverty income levels, and this low-income population accounts for 6 out of 7 teenage births. US teenage pregnancy rates are 3-10 times higher than those found among industrial nations of western Europe, but poverty rates among US youth are also higher by a similar magnitude. The sexual abuse and rape of young girls, pregnancy during adolescent years, and abandonment of women to raise or support children are, overwhelmingly, adult male behavior problems exacerbated by poverty. The claim that superficial pregnancy prevention programs emphasizing abstinence and contraceptive techniques can persuade young teenagers to enforce abstinence or contraception on their older adult partners is dubious. US prevention campaigns are likely to succeed only when they limit the emphasis on youth-targeted campaigns, condescending attitudes, and punitive approaches, and forcefully confront the excessive economic attrition inflicted on US youth, and the thoroughly integrated nature of sexual behaviors among adolescents and adults.

Increasing Incidence of Varicella Hospitalizations in United States Army and Navy Personnel: Are Today's Teenagers More Susceptible? Should Recruits Be Vaccinated?

Hospital records for 10,687 United States Army and Navy adult varicella (chickenpox) admissions were reviewed. Annual hospital admission rates for varicella increased more than fourfold in the active-duty army during 1980 to 1988 and more than 18-fold among active-duty navy enlisted personnel during 1975 to 1988. Fifty-seven percent of varicella admissions occurred in the most junior military members, aged 17 to 20. More than half of the total varicella admissions occurred in personnel with less than a year of military service. Multivariate analysis of the navy data confirmed increasing time-related trends of risk, suggesting a national temporal trend of increased varicella susceptibility in US teenagers and young adults. Administering a safe and effective varicella vaccine to army and navy recruits could prevent more than 7260 hospital-bed days during the first year of use.

Child sexual abuse and premarital intercourse among high-risk adolescents

This study examined the extent to which child sexual abuse was associated with an increased likelihood of premarital sex among adolescents at high risk of sexual abuse. The sample consisted of 177 teenage girls who, because of evidence of family dysfunction, had become part of a public child welfare system. Half the sample had been placed in a foster home and the remainder were receiving protective services in their own home. About 40% of the teens in both groups had been sexually abused, although teens still living at home were less likely to have reported abuse. Victims of sexual abuse were found to be more likely to have engaged in voluntary sexual intercourse, even after background factors were controlled. Teens in foster home were somewhat less likely to be sexually active than the teens who remained at home.

"Pregnancy and Birth Rates Among Sexually Experienced US Teenagers--1974, 1980, and 1983."

We examined pregnancy rates and birth rates among United States teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in 1974, 1980, and 1983. Pregnancy rate refers to live births plus induced abortions per 1000 women; birth rate refers to live births per 1000 women. We present these rates for all teens aged 15 to 19 years and for teens aged 15 to 19 years who were sexually experienced. Data sources included National Center for Health Statistics birth records, Centers for Disease Control abortion surveillance reports, and Bureau of the Census population estimates. Sexual experience estimates came from national surveys of adolescent sexual behavior. Between 1974 and 1980, the pregnancy rate among all teens increased; the pregnancy rate among sexually experienced teens declined. From 1980 to 1983, the pregnancy rate declined among all teens and among sexually experienced teens. Birth rates among US teenagers (all teens and sexually experienced teens) declined between 1974 and 1983. Whereas the decline in the birth rate from 1974 to 1980 was primarily due to increased use of abortion, the decline from 1980 to 1983 related to the decrease in teenage pregnancies.

Trends in US suicide mortality rates 1968 to 1982: race and sex differences in age, period and cohort components.

Interest has recently emerged in increases in suicide among US teenagers. Nonetheless suicide remains one of the major causes of death among the fastest growing components of the US population--the elderly. We examine the trends in US age-specific suicide rates for the period 1962 to 1981 for four elderly race and sex groups. The trends were analysed using a Poisson regression model which isolated the age, period, cohort effects for suicide mortality for demographic groups. Age, period and cohort effects all significantly contributed to these trends. The race and sex differences were largest for the age pattern of changes in suicide mortality. Of particular interest was the different contribution of each of these factors to recent increases in mortality at advanced ages for black males--a hitherto little recognized or studied trend.

Pregnancy and Birth Rates Among Sexually Experienced US Teenagers— 1974, 1980, and 1983

We examined pregnancy rates and birth rates among United States teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in 1974, 1980, and 1983. Pregnancy rate refers to live births plus induced abortions per 1000 women; birth rate refers to live births per 1000 women. We present these rates for all teens aged 15 to 19 years and for teens aged 15 to 19 years who were sexually experienced. Data sources included National Center for Health Statistics birth records, Centers for Disease Control abortion surveillance reports, and Bureau of the Census population estimates. Sexual experience estimates came from national surveys of adolescent sexual behavior. Between 1974 and 1980, the pregnancy rate among all teens increased; the pregnancy rate among sexually experienced teens declined. From 1980 to 1983, the pregnancy rate declined among all teens and among sexually experienced teens. Birth rates among US teenagers (all teens and sexually experienced teens) declined between 1974 and 1983. Whereas the decline in the birth rate from 1974 to 1980 was primarily due to increased use of abortion, the decline from 1980 to 1983 related to the decrease in teenage pregnancies.

Pregnancy and birth rates among sexually experienced US teenagers--1974, 1980, and 1983

Pregnancy and birth rates among sexually experienced US teenagers--1974, 1980, and 1983

Adolescent Pregnancy in the United States: An Interstate Analysis

Rates of teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion vary greatly among states. Because states that have high birthrates tend to have low abortion rates, pregnancy levels vary much less than do the birth and abortion measures. The role of unintended pregnancy is highlighted by the fact that in states that have very high pregnancy rates, the adolescent abortion rate is higher than the birthrate and the abortion rate combined in states that have the lowest pregnancy rates. A series of multivariate analyses that controlled for the percentage of the state population that was black, poor and metropolitan showed that social factors tend to be more important determinants of state differences in teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion levels than are policy-related variables, particularly for whites. Nevertheless, some policy measures have important associations for both races, especially for blacks. Social factors. High rates of population growth and residential mobility over the previous decade, a high crime rate, a high teenage suicide rate, extensive circulation of sexually explicit magazines, a large percentage not voting in elections and a high level of stress are all associated with high pregnancy-related rates for teenagers. The percentage of children living in female-headed households correlates positively with abortion and pregnancy levels among white teenagers, but has no significant association with the birthrate. The percentage of a state's population that belongs to fundamentalist religious groups is positively associated with adolescent birthrates. Political liberalism correlates with relatively low pregnancy rates and birthrates but with a somewhat higher likelihood of pregnancies being terminated by abortion. In states where women's status is higher, birthrates are lower, but abortion levels are higher. Policy measures. States that have high proportions of teenagers dropping out of school and of young women not graduating from high school tend to have high pregnancy rates and birthrates and a somewhat lower proportion of pregnancies ending in abortion. Increased spending on education is associated with relatively high abortion rates (and, therefore, pregnancy rates). The higher the teacher-student ratio, the lower the adolescent birthrate and the more likely the pregnant teenager is to have an abortion. Welfare payments to teenage mothers are negatively associated with both black and white teenage birthrates, and higher maximum payments are associated with relatively high abortion levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Disadvantaged Single Teenage Mothers and Their Children: Consequences of Free Educational Day Care

The benefits of providing free educational day care from birth to children of 29 single US teenage mothers were examined in a 4 1/2 year longitudinal study. An analysis of the data indicates that the children benefitted intellectually from the program scoring significantly higher than controls on a general cognitive index. Mothers had an increased likelihood of completing high school obtaining post-secondary training and becoming self-supporting. The mothers in both the experimental and control groups had access to the same basic set of community resources. They attended the same secondary schools had access to the same college and vocational school system and had the same resources for low cost medical care for themselves. Thus it was concluded that easy access to good day care service beginning in their childs infancy was probably an important factor in the differential success rate of the experimental group. Because assignment to the intervention condition was random the present study is free from any bias obtained in those studies where highly motivated parents self-select day care. The study did not contrast the achievements of teenage mothers for whom day care of any sort was provided with those mothers who had no day care availible. The benefits to this sample of single teenage mothers of having easy access to good child care seem clear. The greatest impact was in terms of greater educational attainment.

Nuclear Threat: What About the Russians?

To the Editor.— Let me offer the following comments on Dr Grey Dimond's 1 plans endorsed by the Editor to exchange 250,000 students as hostages with the Soviet Union to assuage his fears of an atomic attack. It is one thing to package this idea as a means to promote understanding and friendship and, therefore, peace between our nations. It would serve as a demonstration of our openness and goodwill and would expose the hypocrisy of their peace-and-friendship propaganda, since it is an offer that the Soviets cannot possibly accept. It is quite another matter to indulge in self-delusion that the Soviets are really worried enough about the likelihood of a US-initiated first strike to open their doors to a quarter million unruly US teenagers who would probably destroy the system from within. Or do you suppose that our kids, if you could catch them before they escape to Canada,

The New Right in the Usa and Britain

Moral issues, especially about the family and sexual morality, have become central to debates on social policy in both Britain and the USA. This article examines the genesis and form of those debates in both countries at the level of national politics. It is argued that the new right, in the USA represented chiefly by the Moral Majority, and in Britain by rightwing pressure groups on the present Tory government, have stolen the initiative and are attempting to reconstruct a social and moral order through policies on sexual morality such as religious and sex education in schools, birth control policies for teenagers, etc. The impact of this pressure on policy initiatives, such as the US teenage chastity programme and the British Health Education programme, are discussed.

Alcohol Advertising: Orientations and Influence

The paper presents an analysis of the effects of televised alcohol beverage advertising on the consumption of alcohol among a sample of US teenagers. While no effects of exposure on total consumption are demonstrated for the total sample, consistent with other research on alcohol advertising effects, the present analysis reveals the importance of ‘orientations towards advertising’ as linkages between exposure and consumption behaviour. Specifically, a social utility orientation, involving learning of normative expectations about drinking, and a vicarious utility orientation, involving identification with models in alcohol beverage commercials, are shown to be mediating factors which condition the effects of advertising exposure.‘Alcohol Advertising: Content and Controversy’, by the same author, appeared in the last issue of this journal.