Lifestyle and risk of premature sexual activity in a high school population of Seventh-Day Adventists: Valuegenesis 1989

Adolescence, Summer, 1996 by Miriam L.M. Weinbender, Annette MacKay Rossignol

Figure 2 shows exposure odds ratios for illegal or high-risk drug use. The highest exposure odds ratios were 55 for use of any form of cocaine by the ninth grade boys, 73.1 for ninth grade boys attending a party "where kids your own age were drinking," and 110 for the use of marijuana by eleventh and twelfth grade girls.

In Figure 3, popular entertainment activities, increased risks of early intercourse were observed for ninth and tenth grade girls, tenth through twelfth grade boys, and eleventh and twelfth grade boys who watch "a movie at a movie theater." A modest elevation of risk was associated with tenth through twelfth grade boys' watching television and with each age/gender group for watching a movie on a VCR or participating in competitive sports. Listening to rock music was associated with an increased risk for girls in each grade.

The exposure odds ratios presented in Figure 4 were calculated from data generated by a group of questions positioned in a section of the questionnaire that was separate from the questions presented in Figure 3. Among these questions, increased risks for early intercourse were associated with watching television, participating in sports activities, and playing computer games.

Figure 5 presents exposure odds ratios for six social activities: church activities (21 or more hours per month), evenings out for fun and recreation (6 to 7 evenings per week), school or nonschool clubs or organizations (20 or more hours per week), and talking on the telephone (20 or more hours per week). Participation in church activities was associated with decreased early sexual activity for all except ninth grade boys among whom the risk was increased slightly. Participation in school clubs showed a slightly protective effect for the eleventh and twelfth grade girls and an elevation in risk for boys in each age group. Odds ratios for "dating" during the past twelve months were 23.5 for the ninth grade boys, 17.2 for ninth and tenth grade girls, 6.9 for tenth through twelfth grade boys, and 16.8 for eleventh through twelfth grade girls.

Adventist culture-specific factors (behaviors that are discouraged by a substantial proportion of Adventists) are presented in Figure 6. Among this group of behaviors, participation in competitive sports, eating "unclean" meats, and wearing jewelry were associated with increased risks of early sexual activity for most grade/gender groups. Wearing jewelry was associated with the highest risks for girls.

Exposure odds ratios associated with "deviant" behaviors [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 7 OMITTED] were highest for ninth grade males but showed increased risks for each grade/gender group. The largest risks observed were for ninth grade boys, particularly for their having trouble at school, looking at pornography, and stealing from a store, with exposure odds ratios equal to 10.7, 12.4, and 18.2, respectively.

DISCUSSION

The study results are consistent with those from other populations with respect to the associations between adolescent sexual activity and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana (Jessor & Jessor, 1975; Kolbe, 1990; McLean & Flanigan, 1993; Orr, Beiter, & Ingersoll, 1991). In the present study, however, the risks generally are larger than those reported previously. In addition, a variety of behaviors presently regarded as "acceptable" in most of the popular culture of the United States (but which violate Adventist church standards or general Adventist attitudes) were found to be associated with early sexual activity among Adventist youth. While additional research is needed to clarify the generalizability of these latter results, it is hypothesized that these may form a set of previously unidentified behaviors which predict the emergence of other risky behaviors in both Adventist and popular cultures. In addition, these behaviors may act synergistically in the same manner that other "risky behaviors" are hypothesized to interact (Jessor & Jessor, 1975). For example, it has been suggested that a spectrum of behaviors, including the use of tobacco and alcohol, failure to use seat belts regularly, riding in a car with a drug-using driver, and use of illicit drugs including injectable drugs (Kolbe, 1990; CDC, 1994) may form a set of core behaviors central to what Jessor and Jessor (1975) identify as "transition proneness" or "problem" or "deviant" behavior. Adolescent sexual activity, while not a deviant behavior, frequently is included in this group. It has been suggested that appearance of one or more of these risk factors may predict the appearance of other risk behaviors within one year (Orr, Beiter, & Ingersoll, 1991).