Neighborhood may impact sexual health.

Young men living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may take greater risks with their sexual and reproductive health than their peers, according to a study published in the February issue of APHA's American Journal of Public Health.

The study used data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth to examine the influence of neighborhood characteristics on young men's sexual and reproductive health. Neighborhood characteristics included percentage of the population with incomes below the federal poverty level, the population ages 18 to 24 without a high school diploma and percentage of family households with children younger than 18 with a female head of household and no husband present.

Living in a more disadvantaged neighborhood was associated with having a higher number of partners and having ever gotten a partner pregnant.

"The socioeconomic status of communities played a salient role in influencing the (sexual and reproductive health) of young men," the study's authors found. (Page 271)