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Rural and Urban Differences in Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents in Florida

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Abstract

The national teen birth rate is higher in rural compared to urban areas. While national data suggest rural areas may present higher risk for adverse sexual health outcomes among adolescents, it is unknown whether there are differences within the state of Florida. Overall, Florida has poorer sexual health indicators for adolescents compared to national rates. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in sexual behaviors among Florida adolescents by rural–urban community location. This study includes baseline data from a randomized controlled trial conducted in Florida high schools. Of the 6316 participants, 74% were urban and 26% were rural. Participants responded to questions on sexual behaviors, sexual behavior intentions, and demographics. We estimated the effect of rural–urban status on risk outcomes after controlling for demographic variables using generalized linear mixed models. More teens from rural areas reported ever having sex (24.0%) compared to urban teens (19.7%). No significant differences were observed for most of sexual behaviors assessed. Nonetheless, urban participants were less likely to intend to have sex without a condom in the next year compared to rural participants (aOR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.63–0.92). Overall, there were no major differences in sexual behaviors between rural and urban adolescents in Florida. However, sexual intentions differed between rural and urban adolescents; specifically, rural adolescents were more likely to intend to have sex without a condom in the next year compared to urban adolescents. Understanding the specific disparities can inform contraception and sexual health interventions among rural youth.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Florida Department of Health, and the many evaluation data collectors, Teen Outreach Program facilitators, and students who participated in this project.

Funding

This study was funded by the U.S. Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Grant Number 5 TP1AH000017-01-00). The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of HHS or the Office of Adolescent Health. 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B Downs Blvd, MDC 56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Erika L. Thompson, Helen Mahony & Ellen M. Daley

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Ave, SOC107, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Charlotte Noble

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B Downs Blvd, MDC 56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Wei Wang, Robert Ziemba & Markku Malmi

  4. Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, 1401 Asp Ave., Room 118, Norman, OK, 73019-6081, USA

    Sarah B. Maness

  5. Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4162, USA

    Eric R. Walsh-Buhi

Authors
  1. Erika L. Thompson
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  2. Helen Mahony
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  3. Charlotte Noble
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  4. Wei Wang
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  5. Robert Ziemba
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  6. Markku Malmi
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  7. Sarah B. Maness
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  8. Eric R. Walsh-Buhi
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  9. Ellen M. Daley
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Correspondence to Erika L. Thompson.

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Thompson, E.L., Mahony, H., Noble, C. et al. Rural and Urban Differences in Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents in Florida. J Community Health 43, 268–272 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0416-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0416-6

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