Tobacco Use and Other Risk Behaviors among Adolescents in an STD Clinic

Background. This study examined the potential for tobacco use and other health risk behavior interventions in the context of an urban sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinic.Methods. A cross-sectional survey of two populations. Adolescents seen at an STD clinic or at the teen clinic of a community health center completed a self-administered computer survey in 1996. Risk behaviors, attitudes, and readiness to stop smoking were analyzed for 225 patients at the STD clinic and 248 patients at the teen clinic.Results. Compared with adolescents in the teen clinic, adolescents in the STD clinic were more likely to have smoked frequently (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1, 3.0), used any illegal drug (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3, 5.5), recently binged on alcohol (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.0, 2.8), and had more than 10 lifetime sexual partners (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0, 3.4). Weapon carrying, readiness to stop smoking, and attitudes toward smoking did not differ between sites.Conclusions. Cigarette smoking and other health risk behaviors are more prevalent among adolescents in an STD clinic than among adolescents in a community health center. STD clinics are potential sites for cigarette, alcohol, and drug use interventions among “hard to reach” adolescents.