Health and risk behaviors of urban adolescent males involved in pregnancy.

The Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey was conducted with a statewide sample of 36,284 public school students. The 3 index groups and 1 control group were selected from the urban sub-sample. 1) The term group included 26 teen males who acknowledged causing at least one pregnancy carried to term. 2) The nonterm group included 50 males who had caused at least one pregnancy resulting in abortion (74%) or miscarriage (26%). 3) The unsure group included 43 males who were uncertain whether they had caused a pregnancy. 4) The control group consisted of 116 males who had never caused a pregnancy. Whites comprised 61% and African-Americans 27% of the overall sample. Respondents' mean age was 15.4 years (range 12-20 years). 47% of respondents indicated that their parents were married, 30% divorced, 7% separated, 11% never married, and 5% that one or both of their parents were dead. A significant 42% of the term group disliked school, compared with 39% of the nonterm respondents, 29% of unsure males, and 21% of controls (p .05). Index males were 1.5-2 times more likely to claim to be skipping classes than were controls. Several other significant group differences included: up to twice as many index males as controls ever smoked; 2.5-3 times as many index groups used alcohol as controls. The statement "getting a girl pregnant proves that you are a man" was approved by 3% of controls, 8% of the unsure group, more than 10% of the nonterm group, and 20% of the term group (p .01). However, 86% of respondents agreed that birth control was a mutual responsibility, or 72% that it was a man's responsibility. 36% of the term group vs. 18% of controls agreed that birth control was a girl's obligation. 50% of term, 34% of nonterm, 36% of unsure compared with 14% of controls were involved in group fighting. 75%-79% of index males vs. 54% of controls reported involvement in vandalism, stealing, fighting, and truancy. High risk for injury ranged from 7% of controls to 40% of term males. 7% of controls vs. 20% of term males reported a history or treatment at a mental health clinic.