12.PREVALENCE OF HEALTH-RISK BEHAVIORS INADOLESCENTS WITH CANCER: IMPLICATIONS FORSECOND MALIGNANCIESMelissa Y. Carpentier, PhD, Larry L. Mullins, PhD,T. David Elkin, PhD, Cortney Wolfe-Christensen, MS. Section ofAdolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine,Indianapolis, Indiana; Section of Hematology/Oncology, University ofOklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University ofMississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi

Purpose: Given that adolescents with cancer remain susceptiblefor second malignancies later in life, engagement in specifichealth-risk behaviors may only serve to heighten such risk. Thepurpose of this study was to provide a preliminary examination ofthe prevalence of a variety of health-risk behaviors among a groupof adolescents currently on treatment for cancer, including acomparison to a healthy national sample of adolescents.Methods: Thirty-nine adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19years and presently receiving treatment for cancer were recruitedfor participation as they presented for outpatient treatment to fourcancer clinics. Adolescents completed relevant portions of the 2005Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS; Centers for Disease Control,2004) to gather prevalence data on tobacco and alcohol use;nutrition/physical activity; and sun safety. A series of chi-squaredtests were then conducted to compare prevalence rates of health-risk behaviors among adolescents currently on treatment to thoseof a healthy national sample of adolescents who completed the2005 YRBS as part of the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior SurveillanceSystem.Results: Adolescents with cancer were less likely than healthyadolescents to report lifetime cigarette (35.9% vs. 54.3%, p � 0.05)and alcohol (48.7% vs. 74.3%, p � 0.001) use, current cigarette(5.2% vs. 23%, p � 0.01) and alcohol (5.2% vs. 43.3%, p � 0.001)use, and current episodic heavy drinking (2.6% vs. 25.5%, p �0.01). With regard to nutrition, there was no significant differencebetween adolescents with cancer and healthy adolescents withrespect to fruit/vegetable consumption, although adolescentswith cancer were more likely than healthy adolescents to reportdrinking at least 3 glasses of milk a day (43.6% vs. 16.2%, p �0.001). Reports of physical activity revealed that adolescents withcancer were less likely than healthy adolescents to meet currentlyrecommended levels of physical activity (17.9% vs. 35.8%, p �0.05). Similarly, adolescents with cancer were more likely thanhealthy adolescents to watch television at least 3 hours a day(53.8% vs. 37.2%, p � .05). Finally, adolescents with cancer wereslightly more likely than healthy adolescents to report sunscreenuse (10.3% vs. 9%) and use of shade/long pants/long-sleevedshirt/use of hat (28.2% vs. 18.2%) when outside for more than 1hour on a sunny day, although not to a statistically significantdegree.Conclusions: Adolescents with cancer demonstrate lower lifetimeand current rates of tobacco and alcohol use as compared to theirhealthy counterparts. However, with regard to nutrition andphysical activity, adolescents with cancer are engaging in subop-timal levels of fruit/vegetable consumption and physical activity.Such results suggest that roughly a third to a half of adolescentswith cancer are engaging in sedentary behavior and to an extentthat is greater than that of healthy peers. Similarly, approximately70-90% of adolescents with cancer are engaging in suboptimal sunprotection that, although slightly better than that reported byhealthy peers, is still concerning. Adolescents currently undergo-

ing treatment for cancer may not yet fully realize the extent oftheir future disease risk, and focus instead on simply “gettingcured.” Clearly, interventions that focus on the promotion of goodhealth behaviors while on treatment for cancer are essential inpreventing the recurrence of cancer beyond adolescence.Sources of Support: None.

13.WHAT KEEPS YOUTH IN LATINO COMMUNITIES FROMENGAGING IN VIOLENT BEHAVIORS?Manuel Angel Oscos-Sanchez MD, Janna Lesser RN, PhD,Patricia Kelly RN, PhD. Department of Family & CommunityMedicine; Department of Family Nursing, The University of TexasHealth Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; School ofNursing, The University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City,Missouri

Purpose: Violence disproportionately causes morbidity and mor-tality among adolescents living in Latino communities throughoutthe United States. In this Community Based Participatory ActionResearch project, members of a Latino community selected,trained in, and implemented a culturally based violence preven-tion curriculum. El Joven Noble was used as a primary preventionstrategy with 3rd-5th graders with the goal of maintaining lowlevels of violence during their teenage years. In this analysis weexamine the influence of demographic variables and change intargeted attitude variables on maintaining low levels of violentbehaviors.Methods: Community members implemented El Joven Noble inan after-school program and collected pre and post interventiondata with a self-administered survey. Forward stepwise linearregression analysis was used. The dependent outcome variablewas change in pre vs. post intervention mean level of violence asdetermined with an 8 item instrument that asked about violentbehaviors both in and out of school (� � 0.726). Demographicvariables included gender, Latino ethnicity, grade level, havingfriends in a gang, and having family members in a gang. Changesin mean attitude scores pre and post intervention were alsoentered as potential predictors. The attitudes included non-violentconflict resolution self-efficacy (� � 0.524), attitude toward gangs(� � 0.747), perception of neighborhood threats to safety (� �0.525), endorsement of positive aspects of being “Macho” (� �0.807), and belief in El Joven Noble principles (� � 0.641).Results: A total of 148 students participated. Of them, 68 (46%)were male; 132 (90%) were Latino; 53 (36%), 43 (29%), and 52 (35%)were in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade respectively. The variables thatentered the linear regression model, the standardized beta coeffi-cients, and the level of significance are presented in the tablebelow. The adjusted R-squared of the model was 0.393.

Variables that Entered the Model Standardized Beta Significance

Higher Non-Violent ConflictResolution Self-Efficacy

-0.553 0.000

Male Gender -0.261 0.001Negative Attitude Toward Gangs -0.216 0.005Higher Grade Level -0.195 0.031

Conclusions: Participants who over the course of the interventionhad a higher non-violent conflict resolution self-efficacy, weremale, had a more negative attitude toward gangs, and who werein a higher grade level were less likely to report engaging inviolent behaviors.Sources of Support: National Institute of Nursing Research.

S20 Abstracts / 42 (2008) S15–S49