Table 1.

Characteristics of the baseline and follow-up samples among youth from an urban school system, Mid-Atlantic region, United States: 1985–2002^a

	Baseline sample (first grade)		Young adulthood sample
	No.	%	No.	%
Total	2,311		1,692
Sex
Female	1,160	50.2	902	53.3
Male	1,151	49.8	790	46.7
Disadvantaged minority group membership
Minority (mainly African-American)	1,550	67.1	1,218	72.0
Nonminority (Caucasian, non-Hispanic)	761	32.9	474	28.0
Receipt of subsidized lunch in first gradeb
No	1,093	47.4	761	45.1
Yes (free or reduced-cost lunch)	1,212	52.6	927	54.9
First-grade cohort (year of entry to primary school)
1 (1985)	1,196	51.8	856	50.6
2 (1986)	1,115	48.2	836	49.4
Childhood misbehavior ratingc
Lowest tertile	712	30.8	504	29.8
Middle tertile	688	29.8	514	30.4
Highest tertile	655	28.3	489	28.9
Missing data	256	11.1	185	10.9
Standardized Risk Taking Scale Valuesd
Lowest tertile	547	23.7	443	26.2
Middle tertile	551	23.8	439	25.9
Highest tertile	565	24.5	445	26.3
Missing data	648	28.0	365	21.6

^aYoung adulthood data were obtained for 1,692 of the 2,311 participants originally recruited in 1985–1986 at the time of entry into first grade. Follow up was during 2000–2002 when the participants were ages 20–24.

^bData on the subsidized-lunch status of six children were missing at baseline.

^cChildhood misbehavior was rated in the fall of first grade according to the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised (Werthamer-Larson et al. 1991). Ratings of misbehavior were missing because students transferred to other schools or due to circumstances in which the teacher could not complete the ratings.

^dStandardized risk taking scale data were missing because participants failed to answer this question in ALL five assessments (e.g., because students transferred to other school system.