Abstract
Although ethnic and racial disparities exist in adolescent reproductive health, few studies have examined differences between members of different minority groups. This paper describes differences in measures of reproductive health behaviors, cognitions and social context between African-American (n=170) and Puerto Rican (n=150) adolescent females living in the same communities. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, several racial/ethnic differences emerged. Compared to African-American adolescents, Puerto Rican adolescents reported behaviors (e.g., increased sexual activity, less use of contraception), cognitions (e.g., more negative attitudes about condoms, less negative feelings about pregnancy), peer influences (e.g., more pregnancy amongst peers, less peer pressure to use contraception) and family influences (e.g., less parental pressure to use contraception, less importance placed on parental values) that potentially increase their risk for negative reproductive health outcomes, particularly adolescent pregnancy. These differences are important to consider in designing interventions aimed at reducing existing disparities in adolescent reproductive health.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aguirre-Molina M, Molina C (2003) Latina health in the United States: A public health reader. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA
Alan Guttmacher Institute (2004) U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information. AGI, New York, NY
Annie E. Casey Foundation (1998) When Teens Have Sex: Issues and Trends. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD
Blankenship K, Smoyer A (2004) Public health, research, and law enforcement: The case of HIV/AIDS prevention. Yale University CIRA, New Haven, CT
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001) HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 13:144–146.
Cubbin C, Braveman PA, Marchi KS, Chavez GF, Santelli JS, Gilbert BJ (2002) Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in unintended pregnancy among postpartum women in California. Matern Child Health J 6:237–246.
Ellen JM, Aral SO, Madger LS (1998) Do differences in sexual behaviors account for the racial/ethnic differences in adolescents’ self-reported history of a sexually transmitted disease? Sex Transm Dis 25:125–132.
Ethier KA, Kershaw T, Niccolai L, Lewis JB, Ickovics JR (2003) Adolescent women underestimate their susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. Sex Transm Infect 79:408–411.
Fishbein M (2000) The role of theory in HIV prevention. AIDS Care 12:273–278.
Irwin J (2004) Adolescent sexuality and reproductive health: where are we in 2004? J Adolesc Health 34:353–355
Fox G, Inazu J (1982) The influence of mother's marital history on the mother-daughter relationship in Black and White households. J Marriage Family 44:143–153
Hobbs F, Stoops N (2002) U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Special Reports: Demographic Trends in the 20th Century. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
Hollingshead AB (1975) Four factor index of social status. Yale University, New Haven, CT
Ickovics J, Beren SE, Grigorenko EL, Morrill AC, Druley JA, Rodin J (2002) Pathways of risk: Race, social class, stress, and coping as factors predicting heterosexual risk behaviors for HIV among women. AIDS Beavior 6:339–350
Institute of Medicine (1997) The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
Kershaw TS, Ethier KA, Niccolai LM, Lewis JB, Ickovics JR (2003) Misperceived risk among female adolescents: social and psychological factors associated with sexual risk accuracy. Health Psychol 22:523–532.
Kotchick B, Shaffer A, Forehand R, Miller S (2001) Adolescent sexual risk behavior: A multi-system perspective. Clin Psychol Rev 21:493–519
Lindman HR (1974) Analysis of variance in complex experimental designs. W. H. Freeman & Co, San Francisco
Raine T, Minnis AM, Padian NS (2003) Determinants of contraceptive method among young women at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Contraception 68:19–25
Santelli JS, Lowry R, Brener ND, Robin L (2000) The association of sexual behaviors with socioeconomic status, family structure, and race/ethnicity among US adolescents. American Journal of Public Health 90:1582–1588
Unger JB, Molina GB, Teran L (2000) Perceived consequences of teenage childbearing among adolescent girls in an urban sample. J Adolesc Health 26:205–212
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000) Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
Ventura SJ (2001) Trends in pregnancy rates for the United States, 1976–97: An update. Natl Vital Stat Rep 49:1–9
Villarruel AM (1998) Cultural influences on the sexual attitudes, beliefs and norms of young Latina adolescents. J Soc Pediatr Nurs 3:69–81
Acknowledgment
This research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health grant #P01 MH/DA56826-01A1 and training grant #1 T32 MH20031-02.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The authors of this manuscript are part of the Connecticut Women's Health Project, a group with a shared research interest in the reproductive health of vulnerable women.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Milan, S., Ethier, K., Lewis, J. et al. Reproductive Health of Urban Adolescents: Differences in the Behaviors, Cognitions, and Social Context of African-American and Puerto Rican Females. J Youth Adolescence 35, 959–967 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9084-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9084-z