Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 Exploring Sports Participation and Sexual Risk Behaviors in High School Males Jessica L. Dupree Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/dissertations Part of the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact ScholarWorks@waldenu.
Walden University College of Health Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral study by Jessica Dupree has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Jasmine Ward, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Vasileios Margaritis, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr.
Robin Sneed, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph. Walden University 2018 Abstract Exploring Sports Participation and Sexual Risk Behaviors in High School Males by Jessica L. Dupree MPH, University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, 2013 BS, Agnes Scott College, 2011 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Public Health Walden University May 2018 Abstract Casual sex culture, also known as hook-up culture, is an experience adversely affecting teens in America. The intent of this study was to test the association between sports participation and sexual risk behaviors among high school males.
For the purpose of this study, sports participation, the independent variable, was defined by having played on a sports team in the last 12 months. The sexual risk behaviors, dependent variables, were defined by sexual engagement with multiple partners, drug and alcohol use before intercourse, and sex without condoms. The ecological model provided the theoretical foundation for the study. Secondary analysis of the 2015 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System using logistic regression was employed to test if there was an association between sports participation and sexual risk behaviors in 7,749 high school males.
Using regression analysis, a significant association was found between sports participation and abstinence status, number of sexual partners, and drug and alcohol use at last sexual intercourse. As the number of sports teams increased, the number of abstinent participants increased, the number of sexual partners decreased, and the number of participants who used drugs and alcohol at last sexual intercourse decreased. However, there was no association between sports participation and condom use at last sexual intercourse. Recommendations for next steps include using sports programs as a vehicle to influence behavior change.
This study aimed to promote social change by improving the understanding of how sports programs benefit individuals, families, and communities from reducing sexual risk behaviors in teen males. Exploring Sports Participation and Sexual Risk Behaviors in High School Males by Jessica L. Dupree MPH, University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, 2013 BS, Agnes Scott College, 2011 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Public Health Walden University May 2018 Dedication This is work is dedicated to future leaders in the field of Public Health. Acknowledgments I would like to thank the faculty, Dr.
Anderson, family members, and friends who have helped me reach this point in my academic career. Table of Contents List of Tables. iv List of Figures. vi Section 1: Foundation of the Study and Literature Review .4 Research Questions and Hypothesis .7 Nature of the Study .9 Literature Search Strategy.10 Literature Review Related to Key Variables and Concepts.11 Drug and Alcohol Use.
12 High School Sexual Risk Behaviors and Abstinence .14 Sexual Risk Behaviors. 14 Abstinence and Sexual Activity. 17 Abstinence Transition and Life After Abstinence. 20 High School Sports Participation Factors .25 i Scope and Delimitations .25 Significance, Summary, and Conclusions .28 Section 2: Research Design and Data Collection .30 Research Design and Rationale.
Sample size calculation.34 Instrumentation and Operationalization of Constructs .34 Data Analysis Plan .36 Threats to Validity .44 Section 3: Presentation of the Results and Findings .46 Data Collection of Secondary Data Set. 58 Research Question Analysis .69 ii Section 4: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Social Change .71 Interpretation of the Findings.75 Implications for Professional Practice and Social Change .79 iii List of Tables Table 1. Independent Variable- Extracurricular Activities. Dependent Variable – Sexual Activity .Baseline Descriptive and Demographic Characteristics of the Sample.
Descriptive Statistics of High School Males Who Have Had Sexual Intercourse by Age Cross Tabulation. Descriptive Statistics High School Males Who Have Had Sexual Intercourse by Race/Ethnicity Cross Tabulation. Descriptive Statistics of High School Males Sports Participation by Age Cross Tabulation. Descriptive Statistics High School Males Sports Participation by Grade Level Cross Tabulation.
Descriptive Statistics High School Males Sports Participation by Race/Ethnicity Cross Tabulation. Logistic Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Sexual Abstinence. Logistic Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Sexual Abstinence with Covariates. Ordinal Regression Analysis of High School Males Sports Participation and 3- Month Sexual Partners.
Ordinal Regression Analysis of High School Males Sports Participation and 3- Month Sexual Partners. Ordinal Regression Analysis of High School Males Sports Participation and Lifetime Sexual Partners. Ordinal Regression Analysis of High School Males Sports Participation and Lifetime Sexual Partners With Covariates. Binary Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Alcohol or Drug Use at Last Intercourse.
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Alcohol or Drug Use at Last Intercourse with Covariates. Binary Logistic Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Condom Use at Last Intercourse. Binary Logistic Regression Analysis Between Sports Participation and Condom Use at Last Intercourse with Covariates. 69 v List of Figures Figure 1.
Sample size calculation .34 vi 1 Section 1: Foundation of the Study and Literature Review Introduction Casual sex culture (i., hook-up culture) is an experience adversely affecting youth in America (Joshi, Peter, & Valkenburg, 2014; Olmstead, Roberson, Pasley, & Fincham, 2015). With the high rates of STDs and other unintended consequences of sexual risk behavior, it is important to explore prevention and reduction methods that may deter or prevent these sexual risk behaviors. Although a vast majority of teenage sexual health initiatives are created with teenage females in mind, males are often the initiators of sexual encounters (Gruchow & Brown, 2011). Previous researchers have examined sexual risk independent of sports participation (Deaner et al., 2012; Taylor & Turek, 2010); however, in this quantitative study, I added to the aforementioned literature by exploring whether there is an association between sports participation and sexual risk behaviors in high school males.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the major consequences of this culture are the high rates of sexually- transmitted diseases (STDs; CDC, 2015). I derived the variable definitions in this study from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (YRBSS) code book. Sports participation is defined as having played on a sports team in the last 12 months (Kann et al. Sexual risk behaviors are defined by sexual engagement with multiple partners, drug and alcohol use before intercourse, and sex without condoms (Kann et al.
Using these variables, the results of this quantitative study can promote social change by increasing current understandings of the role sports programs have in reducing sexual risk behaviors. This 2 section will include the problem statement, significance, nature of study, theoretical foundation, literature review, data analysis plan, research questions, hypotheses, key definitions, assumptions, scope, and delimitations. Problem Statement The CDC (2016) estimated that STDs account for $16 billion in healthcare costs, with the majority of the cost dedicated to those aged 14–24 years old. Despite the Healthy People 2020 initiative beginning the century with aims to focus and prioritize responsible sexual behavior as a leading health indicator, efforts to reduce sexual risk behaviors among U.
teens have yet to meet national objectives (Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020, 2016). Most noteworthy are the significant disparities of risk behaviors and STD outcomes observed between genders (CDC, 2016a). Teen males engage in various sexual risks at rates much higher than their female counterparts (CDC, 2016). Previous studies have linked male engagement in sexual risk to hormonal rush adjustments and social pressures that come along with age and stages of life (Johnson, Crosnoe, & Elder, 2011).
Researchers have suggested that some teens are straying away from sexual encounters within committed relationships and moving towards more casual sexual encounters, also known as hooking up (Joshi et al., 2014; Olmstead et al. The gaps in research related to risky teen sexual health behaviors are further exemplified in the Healthy People 2010 and 2020 data. Based on Healthy People 2020 data from 2006–2013, there was a 1.5% decrease in condom use at first sexual intercourse among teen males aged 15–19 (79. This difference represents inadequate progress towards the Healthy People 2020 3 (2016) objective target of 87.
Conversely, the data from 2006–2013 showed an increase in teen females aged 15–19 who used condoms at first sexual intercourse, from 68% to 72.4%, moving closer to the target of 74. In 2015, males also experienced higher STD rates compared to females (CDC, 2016a). The chlamydia and gonorrhea rates for males between the ages of 15 and 19 increased by 6.1% respectively, while the same was true for the females, at much smaller percentages, 1. These rates are particularly important as evidence has suggested engagement in risky sexual activity in the early teen years is positively associated with sexual risk behaviors into adulthood (Dariotis et al.
Observable differences may be caused by the lack of attention to gender-based approaches to prevent sexual risk behaviors. Sports participation has been identified as a protective factor for various teen health risk behaviors (Deaner et al. As such, with this study, I aimed to discover if there is an association between sports participation and sexual risk behaviors. The results of this study add to the literature and practice by enhancing understanding of sports participation as a targeted youth development intervention methodology in efforts to reduce sexual risk behaviors amongst high school male athletes.
This research was informed by the theoretical constructs of the ecological model, which followed an important recommendation from the CDC (2015) to investigate and create interventions aimed at reaching the sexually at-risk adolescents from not just an individual perspective, but from a social perspective. 4 Purpose Statement The purpose of this secondary quantitative research study was to explore the relationship between sports participation status of high school males and their sexual risk behavior status. The target population was U. high school males.
This population was appropriate for this study as research has found that those people between the ages of 15 and 24 account for 50% of all new STDs (CDC, 2015). Furthermore, in 2014, the chlamydia and gonorrhea rates for males between the ages of 15 and 19 were 718.1 cases per 100,000 males respectively (CDC, 2015). The results of this study may help increase the understanding of how sports programs benefit individuals, families, and communities by reducing sexual risk behaviors in teen males. One benefit of sports programs includes the involvement of community members, such as teachers and coaches, for the promotion of healthy relationships and a decrease in sexual risks (Johnson et al., 2014; Secor-Turner, Randall, Christensen, Jacobson, & Loyola Meléndez, 2017; Ye Hoon, Seunghun, & Youngjun, 2017).
An original contribution could be made from this research by narrowing the focus from all risky behaviors to only sexual risk behaviors in high school males. Professional application can occur through interventions that utilize community factors to deter sexual activity in teen males. This includes after-school programs in the community that promote healthy relationships and decrease sexual risk behaviors in teen males.