The association of sexual behaviors with socioeconomic status, family structure, and race/ethnicity among US adolescents

Objectives. This study assessed the relation of socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, and race/ethnicity to adolescent sexual behaviors that a re key determinants of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Methods. The 1992 Youth Risk Behavior Survey/Supplement to the National Hea lth Interview Survey provided family data from household adults and behavio ral data from adolescents. Results. Among male and female adolescents, greater parental education, liv ing: in a 2-parent family, and White race were independently associated wit h never having had sexual intercourse. Parental education did not show a li near association with other behaviors. Household income was not linearly re lated to any sexual behavior. Adjustment for SES and family structure had a limited effect on the association between race/ethnicity and sexual behavi ors. Conclusions. Differences in adolescent sexual behavior by race and SES were not large enough to fully explain differences in rates of pregnancy and ST D infection. This suggests that other factors, including access to health s ervices and community prevalence of STDs, may be important mediating variab les between SES and STD transmission and pregnancy among adolescents.