Mj. Deering, DESIGNING HEALTH PROMOTION APPROACHES TO HIGH-RISK ADOLESCENTS THROUGH FORMATIVE RESEARCH WITH YOUTH AND PARENTS, Public health reports, 108, 1993, pp. 68-77
Young people who engage in multiple health risk behaviors such as alco
hol and other drug use, unprotected sexual activity, smoking, and viol
ence, are a serious public health concern. To help identify potential
strategies for influencing these behaviors, focus groups were conducte
d with 160 youth ages 10-18 years. For additional insights, focus grou
ps also were held subsequently with 70 parents and grandparents of you
th of similar ages. The youth participants were well-informed about mo
st of the risky behaviors and their health consequences. Safe sex prac
tices and the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infecti
on were the exceptions. Despite this understanding, participants spoke
of engaging in these behaviors as part of a lifestyle common to the h
igh-risk environments where they live. The youth said that knowing why
these practices were harmful was not enough to help them change the b
ehavior. The need for skills building and support systems to reinforce
their generally high level of awareness was evident. Love, home, fami
ly, and safety were cited as very important. Many participants said th
ey wanted to talk to someone they could trust, who knew what they were
going through. The groups of parents and grandparents were concerned
about the physical dangers facing their adolescents and about peer inf
luence. They also acknowledged their own mixed messages to their youth
. The focus group findings suggest that health promotion strategies fo
r high-risk youth should be comprehensive rather than categorical, wit
h nonjudgmental, interpersonal communication integrated into community
based programs. To be relevant, program strategies must reach outside
the usual channels and incorporate the high-risk environment where th
ese youth live.