School-related assets and youth risk behaviors: alcohol consumption and sexual activity.

BACKGROUND: Two risk behaviors, alcohol consumption and early initiation of sexual intercourse (ISI), can have devastating consequences for youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of school connectedness and school-related behaviors (eg, academic performance, skipping school, getting into trouble at school) with these 2 risk behaviors. METHODS: The Youth Asset Survey (YAS) was administered to 1117 youth/parent pairs in their homes using Computer-Assisted Personal/Self-Interviewing (CAPI/CASI). The YAS measures 17 youth assets and risk behaviors including alcohol consumption and sexual activity. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 14.3 years; 53% were female; and 70% were from 2-parent homes. Five school-related behaviors were positively associated with no ISI. Four school-related behaviors were positively associated with reporting no alcohol consumption in the past 30 days, including the School Connectedness asset (only among 12- to 13-year-olds), not skipping school (only among non-Hispanic Caucasians), staying out of trouble, and paying attention. CONCLUSIONS: School is very much a part of the lives of youth and therefore the relationship they have with their school experience is important and may influence their involvement in risk behaviors. Feeling connected to school is a positive asset that can protect youth from such risky behaviors as sexual initiation and alcohol consumption.

Methodological considerations in a community-based longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe methodological issues and strategies relevant to conducting a community-based longitudinal study. METHODS: Study participants (N=1117 youth/parent pairs) residing in neighborhoods that were randomly selected using a multistage sampling procedure and 2000 census data. Data were collected annually using in-home, in-person, computer-assisted interviewing methods. Numerous retention methods were used to track and retain participants. RESULTS: The initial response rate was 61%. The retention rate is 97%, and the valid interview completion rate is 93% after nearly 4 waves of data collection. CONCLUSIONS: In order for community-based longitudinal studies to overcome barriers to enrollment and retention, particular attention must be given to appropriate planning and available resources.

Parental communication and youth sexual behaviour.

The role of parental communication and instruction concerning sexual behaviour were studied in a community-based sample of 1083 youth aged 13-17 (mean age of 15 years; 51% girls, 49% White). The Youth Asset Survey was administered along with items measuring demographics and youth risk behaviours. After controlling for demographic factors, multivariate analysis revealed that youth were much less likely to have initiated sexual intercourse if their parents taught them to say no, set clear rules, talked about what is right and wrong and about delaying sexual activity. If youth were sexually active, they were more likely to use birth control if taught at home about delaying sexual activity and about birth control. Having only one sexual partner was associated with having an adult role model who supports abstinence, being taught at home about birth control, and being taught at home how to say no. If parents reported talking with youth about birth control and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention, youth were significantly more likely to use birth control. Our conclusion is that parents have the opportunity and ability to influence their children's sexual behaviour decisions.

Youth-parent communication and youth sexual behavior: implications for physicians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study explores youth and parent agreement about conversations on specific topics related to sexual risk behavior and youth-parent relationship. The study's objective was to determine if the amount of agreement was associated with youth sexual behavior. METHODS: Data were collected using a computer-assisted data entry system from one parent and one youth in 1,350 randomly selected households in inner-city areas of two Midwestern cities. RESULTS: Youth-parent positive agreement scores about these conversations were significant after controlling for youth age, race, gender, family structure, and parental income and education. Scores were associated with youth abstinence and with the use of contraception if the youth had become sexually active. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, youth-parent agreement regarding their communication was associated with positive youth behaviors, including abstinence and the use of contraception if sexually active.

Youth assets and sexual abstinence in Native American youth.

Compared with youth of other races/ethnicities, Native American youth (ages 15-19 years) are more likely to have participated in sexual intercourse, thus placing them at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancies. This study's purpose was to investigate relationships among protective factors (assets) and sexual intercourse in a Native American youth population. Data were collected from Native American youth and their parents (N=126 youth/parent pairs) living in randomly-selected households using in-person, in-home interview methods. Nine youth assets were the independent variables and never had sexual intercourse was the dependent variable. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. One significant (p<.05) asset main effect and one asset by youth age interaction were found. Youth with the Non-Parental Adult Role Models asset were 3.8 times more likely to have never had sex compared with youth without the asset. Further study of the influence of protective factors among Native American youth is warranted.

Positive youth development linked with prevention in a Vietnamese American community: successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

PURPOSE: To describe a positive youth development program that was successfully designed and implemented in partnership with a Vietnamese American community and to provide insight into the types of outcomes that can result from such programs in similar communities. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with Vietnamese community leaders (n = 8) and youth (n = 10) who were involved in a positive youth development program in Oklahoma City. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by two independent analysts. Data matrices were used to help identify major themes. RESULTS: Participants felt they had strengthened numerous assets as a result of involvement in the youth development program, including communication with parents or another adult, leadership skills, constructive use of free time, and positive peer influences. Some of the participants also reported establishment of a relationship with a nonparent adult, inclusion of community service in their aspirations for the future, and avoidance of high-risk behaviors owing to their involvement in the program. Both adults and youth felt that the Vietnamese community had changed its perception of youth as a result of increased involvement of young people in community service and cultural activities. CONCLUSION: Positive youth development is a promising prevention strategy that can be adapted to Vietnamese communities in the United States.

Relationships among youth assets and neighborhood and community resources.

Recent research suggests that a youth development framework emphasizing youth assets may be a promising intervention strategy for preventing adolescent risk behaviors. Understanding how neighborhood and community resources relate to youth assets may aid in identifying environmental strategies to complement individually oriented asset-building interventions. In this study, 1,350 randomly selected inner-city youth and their parents (paired interviews) were interviewed in person. After controlling for demographic characteristics of youth and parents using multivariate logistic regression, parental perception of neighborhood safety was associated with the nonparental adult role model asset, peer role model asset, and for African American youth, the community involvement asset. City services and neighborhood services were associated with use of time (groups/sports) and use of time (religion), respectively. Psychological sense of community was associated with community involvement for Native American youth. Findings suggest that neighborhood and community-level influences should be considered when designing youth development interventions to reduce risk behaviors.

The potential protective effect of youth assets on adolescent alcohol and drug use.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between adolescent alcohol and drug use and 9 youth assets in a low-income, inner-city population. METHODS: An in-person survey of 1350 adolescents and parents assessed youth assets and risk behaviors. We analyzed data with chi(2) tests and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: When we controlled for appropriate variables, there were significant positive relationships between several youth assets and nonuse of alcohol and drugs. Furthermore, youths who possessed all of the statistically significant youth assets were 4.44 times more likely to report nonuse of alcohol and 5.41 times more likely to report nonuse of drugs compared with youths who possessed fewer youth assets. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the view that specific youth assets may protect youths from alcohol and drug use.

The potential protective effects of youth assets from adolescent sexual risk behaviors.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship among individual youth assets and adolescent sexual risk behaviors. METHODS: Cross-sectional, in-home interview data from randomly selected inner-city neighborhood teenagers (N = 1253) and their parents (N = 1253) were analyzed. Demographic information (e.g., age, parental income, family structure) was statistically controlled for while investigating the relationships among youth asset and sexual activity outcomes using logistic regression analyses. Potential interactions between the demographic variables and the assets were also examined. The five sexual risk behaviors included "never had sexual intercourse," current sexual activity, number of lifetime sexual partners, current use of birth control, and age at first intercourse. RESULTS: Youth mean age was 15.4 (+/- 1.7) years; 52% were female; 49% were Non-Hispanic Caucasian, 23% Non-Hispanic African-American, 19% Hispanic and 10% Non-Hispanic Native American. Sixty-three percent reported never having had sexual intercourse. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for the demographic variables and the other significant assets, Non-Parental Adult Role Models, Peer Role Models, Use of Time (Religion), and Future Aspirations were independently significantly related (p <.05) to whether or not youth had ever participated in sexual intercourse. Individual multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for the demographic variables, Peer Role Model and Family Communication assets were each significantly associated with birth control use by sexually active youth (p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Specific youth assets may have a protective effect from certain sexual risk behaviors.

Reliability and validity of the youth asset survey (YAS).

PURPOSE: To describe the construction of a survey that was developed to measure youth assets. The paper details the ten youth developmental assets measures within the survey, including the psychometric properties of those measures derived from factor analysis and reliability testing. METHODS: Three studies were conducted, including a study of 1,350 randomly selected youth (mean age = 15.4 years; 52% female; 47% white, 22% black, 19% Hispanic, 10% Native American), using in-person interviews, to develop an asset instrument tool. Factor analysis was performed on a correlation matrix, using principal axis factoring, and varimax rotation. The criteria were set to extract eight factors. RESULTS: The eight factors extracted represented six developmental assets as originally defined, including Family Communication, Peer Role Models, Future Aspirations, Responsible Choices, Community Involvement, and Non-Parental Role Models. One asset (Constructive Use of Time) was split into two specific assets: groups/sports and religious time. Two assets did not form factors (Good Health Practices [exercise/nutrition] and Cultural Respect) and were defined as one-item assets. All factor loading scores were.40 or higher and all Cronbach alphas were.60 or higher. CONCLUSIONS: Factor analyses suggest that the constructs are reliable measures of youth developmental assets. The psychometrically sound asset measures presented here will provide scientists with valid and reliable instruments to assess and compare the prevalence of youth assets across populations and to investigate potential relationships between youth assets and other outcomes, such as youth risk behaviors.