Elsevier

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 27, Issue 3, September 2000, Pages 186-194
Journal of Adolescent Health

Original articles
Use of reproductive health services among young men, 1995

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00118-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the extent to which teenage males receive preventive reproductive health services and identify demographic and health factors associated with their receipt.

Methods: Bivariate and multivariate analyses of nationally representative data from the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males were conducted using logistic regression to determine which factors predicted whether teenagers had a physical examination and whether they discussed reproductive health topics with a medical professional, had a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test, or had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) test.

Results: Although 71% of males aged 15–19 years received a physical examination in the past year, only 39% of them received any of the three reproductive health services. Less than one-third of all young men discussed reproductive health with their doctor or nurse. Among sexually experienced males, one-sixth had an STD test and one-quarter an HIV test. In multivariate analysis, males who had a physical examination were more likely to have an STD or HIV test, but were no more likely to discuss reproductive health topics. Minority and low-income youth were more likely to receive these reproductive health services, as were young men with multiple sex partners and those with health problems.

Conclusions: In general, the proportion of teenage men receiving reproductive health services is low, although levels are higher among minority youth and certain groups at risk. To reduce rates of teen pregnancy and STDs, physicians and nurses need to incorporate reproductive health care into routine health services for teenage males, as well as females.

Section snippets

Data

The 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM) is a national probability sample of 15- to 19-year-olds in the contiguous United States that oversampled black and Hispanic youth (17). Field staff screened 54,265 households across the country. Among all eligible males, the response rate was 75%; the rate was slightly higher among black youth. Sample weights were developed to account for probability of selection, nonresponse, and poststratification adjustments to correspond with 1995 Census

Descriptive findings

Most young men had not received any of the three reproductive health services under study (reproductive health discussion with medical professional, HIV test, or STD test) in the 12 months before the interview (Table 2). Less than one-third of all young men reported that they had talked to a doctor or nurse about one or more of the four reproductive health topics (preventing pregnancy, AIDS, other STDs, condoms) in the past 12 months. Almost half of the young men who reported having talked to a

Discussion

We found that the majority of teenage men had a physical examination in the previous 12 months. Despite this high level of medical contact, only a small minority of teenage males, including those who are sexually active, receive preventive reproductive health services. Despite recommendations from medical associations, reproductive health services are not yet a part of routine care visits for adolescent men. In the multivariate analysis, having a physical examination is significantly associated

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Emily Agree, Laura Duberstein Lindberg, Freya Sonenstein, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, and Sean Williams and Carolyn Bradner for research assistantship.

References (24)

  • M.J Rotheram-Borus et al.

    HIV testing, behaviors and knowledge among adolescents at high risk

    J Adolesc Health

    (1997)
  • S.G Millstein et al.

    Delivery of STD/HIV preventive services to adolescents by primary care physicians

    J Adolesc Health

    (1996)
  • Healthy People 2000National health promotion and disease prevention objectives. DHHS Pub. No. (PHS) 91–50212

    (1990)
  • HIV prevention through early detection and treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases—United States

    MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep

    (1998)
  • F Sonenstein et al.

    Involving Males in Preventing Teen Pregnancy

    (1997)
  • A.B Elster et al.

    AMA Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS)

    (1994)
  • Reproductive health care for adolescents

    Position Paper. J Adolesc Health

    (1991)
  • T.A Lieu et al.

    Race, ethnicity, and access to ambulatory care among U.S. adolescents

    Am J Public Health

    (1993)
  • R.W Blum et al.

    Don’t ask, they won’t tellThe quality of adolescent health screening in five practice settings

    Am J Public Health

    (1996)
  • J.E Epner et al.

    Primary care providers’ responsiveness to health risk behaviors reported by adolescent patients

    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

    (1998)
  • V Igra et al.

    Current status and approaches to improving preventive services for adolescents

    JAMA

    (1993)
  • M.A Schuster et al.

    Communication between adolescents and physicians about sexual behavior and risk prevention

    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

    (1996)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text