Purpose: To better delineate the impact of health risk behaviors on adolesc
ent women's current and future health and development.
Method: The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Adolescent Health, a national surve
y of adolescents in Grades 5-12 designed to better understand their health
and health care needs, was used as the basis for this study. Survey data we
re collected in 1997 from a total of 6730 adolescents (3568 females, 3162 m
ales). Areas examined include smoking, drinking, use of other drugs, violen
ce, safety, reproductive risks, and the prevention of risk behaviors in ado
lescent women.
Results: Adolescent women are almost equally likely to smoke, drink, and en
gage in other substance use as their male counterparts, but with increased
health risks. Different motivations for engaging in risk behavior also are
evident. Adolescent women are also more likely than adolescent men to exper
ience physical abuse, and they are twice as likely to be sexually abused.
Conclusions: Effective prevention programs need to recognize that the motiv
ations for engaging in risk behaviors may differ by gender. Developmental a
wareness, proper assessment, and pivotal institutions can provide and shape
what is needed for healthy development. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicin
e, 1999.