Sexual Orientation and Risk of Pregnancy Among New York City High-School Students

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2015-07, Vol.105 (7), p.1379-1386
• Main Authors: Lindley, Lisa L, Walsemann, Katrina M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Bisexuality - statistics & numerical data; Child; Enrollments; Female; Gays & lesbians; Gender; Heterosexuality; Homosexuality, Female - statistics & numerical data; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Identity; Male; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority students; Missing data; New York City - epidemiology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - psychology; Pregnancy in Adolescence - statistics & numerical data; Prevention; Public health; Questionnaires; Research and Practice; Response rates; Risk Factors; School districts; Secondary school students; Self report; Sex Factors; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Sexual orientation; Sexuality; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Studies; Teenage pregnancy; Teenagers; Trends; Urban schools; Vagina; Young adults
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302553

We examined associations between sexual orientation and pregnancy risk among sexually experienced New York City high-school students. We analyzed data from 2005, 2007, and 2009 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. We excluded students who had never engaged in sexual intercourse, only had same-gender sexual partners, or had missing data on variables of interest, resulting in a final sample of 4892 female and 4811 male students. We employed multivariable logistic regression to examine pregnancy risk by sexual orientation, measured as self-reported sexual identity and gender of sexual partners, with adjustment for demographics and sexual behaviors. We stratified analyses by gender. Overall, 14.3% of female and 10.8% of male students had experienced a pregnancy. Students who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or reported both male and female sexual partners had higher odds of pregnancy than heterosexual students or students who only had opposite-gender sexual partners. Sexual behaviors accounted for higher odds of pregnancy among female, but only partially accounted for higher odds of pregnancy involvement among male, sexual-minority students. Sexual orientation should be considered in future adolescent pregnancy-prevention efforts, including the design of pregnancy-prevention interventions.