Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

Peer Effects And Early Sexual Initiation For African-American Adolescents, Olugbenga Ajilore

Olugbenga Ajilore

Adolescent risky sexual behavior is serious problem that plagues the African-American population more than other ethnic groups. African-American males are more likely to be sexually active, have multiple partners, and have a higher incidence of sexually-transmitted diseases. This paper explores the role of peer effects on early sexual initiation for African-American youth. Most studies analyzing peer influences ignore the “reflection” problem that occurs with studying peer effects. One method of solving this problem is through the use of spatial econometrics. This study contributes to literature on adolescent risky sexual behavior by using a generalized spatial autoregressive approach to model peer …