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Frequency and Correlates of Fighting and Carrying Weapons Among Public School Adolescents
Objective: To examine the frequency and correlates of adolescent violent behaviors. Methods: Utilized the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 5,081 public high school students. Results: 47% of males and 13% of females reported carrying a weapon in the past 30 days. 48% of males and 32% of females reported a physical fight in the past year. The strongest predictors of fighting and carrying a weapon were alcohol use, illegal drug use, and sexual intercourse. Conclusion: A "clustering of adolescent risk behaviors" among alcohol use, illegal drug use, sexual risk taking and violent behaviors exists and multi-component interventions are imperative for primary prevention. Am J Health Behav 1998;22(1):8-17 |