Racial differences in adolescents' perceived vulnerability to disease and injury

This study examined gender and racial differences in adolescents' risk perc eptions of major diseases and motor vehicle injury and whether these percep tions agree with national mortality rates and parental health history. Adol escent (N = 135; 55% African-American) boys and girls reported on their cha nces compared to other adolescents of developing specific diseases or exper iencing a motor vehicle injury and their knowledge of parental health histo ry. Logistic regression models revealed that girls' risk perceptions were s imilar to boys' ratings even though females are at less risk than males per national figures. Caucasian adolescents inaccurately perceived that they w ere at significantly greater risk than African-American peers for motor veh icle injury, stroke, cancer, and heart attack. Adolescents' knowledge of a father's diabetes was predictive of greater perceived vulnerability to diab etes.