High school athletic participation, sexual behavior and adolescent pregnancy: a regional study.
J Adolesc Health
; 25(3): 207-16, 1999 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10475497
ABSTRACT
PIP: A longitudinal study using a random sample of adolescents, aged 13-16 years, was conducted in western New York to determine if athletic participation was associated with a reduced rate of sexual behavior and pregnancy. 699 families were interviewed and surveyed, and bivariate correlations were used to examine the relationships among athletic participation, demographic and control variables, and measures of sexual behavior and pregnancy rates. Findings showed that high rates of pregnancy involvement for both sexes were associated with low income and high sexual activity. Higher levels of family cohesion reduced rates of sexual activity for both sexes. Girls' athletic participation was directly proportional to reduced frequency of sexual behavior and, indirectly, to pregnancy risk. However, lower rates of sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement among adolescent male athletes were not discovered. Female adolescents who participated in sports were less likely than their nonathletic peers to engage in sexual activity and/or report a pregnancy. Among male adolescents, athletic participation was unrelated to sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement.
Key words
Adolescent Pregnancy; Adolescents; Adolescents, Female; Adolescents, Male; Age Factors; Americas; Behavior; Comparative Studies; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Fertility; New York; North America; Northern America; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Premarital Sex Behavior; Reproductive Behavior; Research Methodology; Research Report; Sex Behavior; Sex Factors; Studies; United States; Youth
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pregnancy in Adolescence
/
Sexual Behavior
/
Sports
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Adolesc Health
Year:
1999
Document type:
Article