Examines sexual knowledge, attitudes and practices of 84 Mexican-American adolescents. Findings show low sexual knowledge for all subgroups. Few sexually active subjects practiced contraception. Majority indicated birth control makes sex seem preplanned. Respondents appeared traditional in sex attitudes, with virginity and birth-control…

Argues against condom education and distribution in the schools. (SR)

Rebuts an article in this issue against condom education and distribution in the schools. (SR)

Focus groups with nonparenting, urban, African-American females examined their attitudes toward teen pregnancy, the social impact of teen pregnancy, and contraception. Results indicated that though the adolescents believed pregnancy and parenting were best delayed until later, they felt they were common, manageable experiences with plenty of…

Details creation of Adoption Option, Inc., a public adoption agency founded in 1986 in Ohio. Highlights three program areas of agency's mission: (1) training for those who assist pregnant women/teens with unplanned pregnancies; (2) educational programs for school-based health curricula; and (3) media initiative to convey accurate information about…

Reviews the literature on psychosocial correlates of contraceptive practices among sexually active late adolescents. Helps identify subgroups of adolescents who either do not use or misuse contraceptive means, putting them at risk for unwanted pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Promotes further research on those variables…

Reconsiders hierarchy models positing a learning model of behavior change wherein knowledge precedes attitudes, thus influencing behavior. Considers case of contraception in Peru; develops six possible knowledge, attitude, and practice permutations. Finds assessing the fit of such models consistent with emerging work in development communication…

Contributes to scholarship on social movements and the media by analyzing the emergence of media discourses on contraception from 1915 to 1917. Discusses how, considered legally obscene and unfit for public discussion, contraception first made headlines as the "New York Times" covered Margaret Sanger's birth control activism. Shows how…

Examines attitudes of 129 teenagers concerning teenage pregnancy and early sex. Results indicate that 73% of girls advocated joint responsibility for contraceptive protection compared with only 46% of boys. Significantly more boys than girls saw nothing wrong with casual sex and significantly less boys than girls upheld the virtue of commitment in…

Studied effectiveness of a sexual and health issues newsletter written by teenagers in changing readers' knowledge and attitudes about sexual activity, condom use, and drug use. Found that newsletter reading produced more positive attitudes toward postponing sexual involvement, more negative attitudes toward using drugs, and particularly affected…

This study examined prevalence of sexual risks among homeless adolescents and described factors associated with those risks. Community-based outreach methods were used successfully to access this difficult-to-reach population. The sample included 203 homeless youth aged 15-22 recruited from community sites. Questionnaire items addressed…

Objective: To examine the relationship of multiple sexual-partners to other risk behaviors among adolescent girls. Methods: Ninth-through 12 th-grade sexually active girls (N=3288) who completed the 1999 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey were participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine all significant independent…

The aims of this exploratory qualitative study were to increase our understanding of heterosexual young adults knowledge and beliefs about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HIV, to explore their beliefs about the factors that influence condom use for STI prevention, and to explore their ideas about how best to promote condom use…

The article focuses on a key aspect of the experiences of young gay men and considers how their responses might inform HIV prevention education for all young people. The article first outlines key representations of same-sex desire and of HIV/AIDS through which young gay men learn various certainties about gay men, gay sex and AIDS. As a…

Objective: To determine differences between African American adolescents on STD/HIV sexual-risk behaviors and precursors to these risk behaviors. Methods: Six hundred sixty-three rural and 3313 nonrural adolescents who completed the 1999 YRBS Survey were selected. Results: Rural females and males were more likely to report ever having coitus and…