Table 3.
Primary and intermediate outcome variables.
| Variable | Description | Sample item(s) | Response format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral outcomes | |||
| Sexual intercourse experience | Binary: 0 =no; 1=yes | Have you ever had sex?a | Yes, no |
| Anticipate sexual intercourse in next 12 months | Binary: no =answered NO to having sex (regardless of kissing/touching); yes = answered YES/NOT SURE to having sex | (a) In the next 12 months, if you were going with someone you liked a lot, you would kiss each other; (b) In the next 12 months, if you were going with someone you liked a lot, you would touch each other under your clothing; (c) In the next 12 months, do you think that you will have sex? | (a and b) Agree, disagree, I am not sure; (c) Yes, no, I am not sure |
| Other risk behaviors | 3-level ordinal variable: 0, 1, and 2+ risk behaviors | (a) Have you ever had more than one or two sips of alcohol, such as beer, wine, or liquor? (Also asked about smoking, marijuana, inhalants, and gang relations.) | Yes, no |
| Attitudinal outcomes | |||
| Positive attitude toward abstinence | Factor analysis scale, seven items (α =0.82) | (a) I think kids my age should not have sex; (b) At what age is it okay for a person to have sex for the first time? | (a) Agree, disagree, I am not sure; (b) Range of age categories |
| Views abstinence as peer norm | Factor analysis scale, three items (α =0.45) | My friends think it is a good thing to wait to have sex until you are older. | Agree, disagree, I am not sure |
| Parent-child communication | Factor analysis scale, six items (α = 0.86) | In the past 12 months, how often have you talked with your parent, or someone who is like a parent, about things like smoking, alcohol, drugs, or gangs? | Never, 1–2 times, 3–4 times, 5 times or more |
| Ability to identify peer pressure | Factor analysis scale, two items (α =0.50) | If you have friends who don’t smoke or drink alcohol (such as beer, wine, or liquor), it is easier for you not to smoke or drink alcohol. | Agree, disagree, I am not sure |
| Positive attitude toward use of refusal skills to resist sexual intercourse | Factor analysis scale, four items (α = 0.60) | (a) If your friends say NO to sex, would it be harder or easier for you to say NO to sex?; (b) If you were going with someone you really liked and did not want to have sex, would you talk to him about why you did not want to have sex with him? | (a) Harder, easier, I am not sure; (b) Yes, no, I am not sure |
| Benefits of postponing sex | Summary variable, seven items, range = 1–7 (α =0.86) | If you wait until you’re older to start having sex, which of the following would happen? | Sample item response from list of seven responses to mark: Help me to focus on my goals and future plans. |
| Consequences of having a baby while in school | Summary variable, six items, range =−3 through +2 (α =0.42) | What would happen if you had a baby while you are in junior high or high school? | Sample item response from list of six responses to mark: I would have someone to love me. |
| Influences on kids to have sex | Summary variable, six items, range = 0–5 (α =0.76) | Why do some kids have sex even though they may not want to have sex? | Sample item response from list of six responses to mark: Because their friends think it makes them more grown up. |
| Knowledge outcomes | |||
| Knowledge of pubertal changes in own/otherb gender | Summary variable, seven items, range = 0–9 (α =0.72 for own gender; α =0.76 for other gender) | What changes happen to boys/girls during puberty? | Sample item response from list of seven responses to mark: Grow body hair. |
Notes:
a
Defined in the questionnaire as ‘The male’s penis is inside the female’s vagina. Also called “going all the way” or “doing it.”’
b
Asked as two separate questions and included as two separate variables.