In the research on “Quantitative Study on the Condom-Use Behaviors of Eighteen to Twenty-Four-Years Old Urban African American Males,” involved scales concisely and clearly constructed to present the desired information. Most of the racial and ethnic minority youths in the United States are exposed to the risk of getting Sexually Transmitted Diseases since they are not prepared to handle the aftermaths of sexual activities (Kennedy, Nolen, Applewhite, Pan, Shamblen, & Vanderhoff, 2007) . The scales used to conduct the research included psychometric constructs to collect and refine data concerning demographic characteristics, perceived HID/STD vulnerability, condom use intentions, barriers and attitudes, and decisional balance. The authors in the research used concise measures to ensure that the results are detailed and presented as expected. For instance, the scales concerning demographic characteristics scrutinized age, substance use period, and education level. In the research study, the researchers wanted to know consistency, accuracy, and effectiveness of using a condom. Therefore, the participants gave responses on the condom usage of the previous 30 days and the next 30 days of condom use. Additionally, using a 5-point Likert scale “(0 – very likely to 4 – very unlikely)”, the survey tested on the perceived attitudes and likelihood of using a condom. Most of the results collected presented more probability and favorable conditions of condom use among the young males.
Reliability and validity of the measures
The authors’ explanations were apparent on the validity of their measures concerning sexual debut, health-related behaviors peer communication, and condom-carrying behaviors. To begin with, the statistical data about sexual intercourse as presented in the research showed that 24% of the population of young African Americans understudy had sex for the first time at 14 years of age, 11% had sex at 15 years, 8% at 16 years, 12% at 12 years, 10% at ages 10 and 11 years old (Kennedy et al., 2007) . Concerning health-related behaviors, the research showed that 27% of the partakers knew people who have HIV/AIDS, 56% knew people are having STDs, and 26% knew people who died of HIV/AIDS (Kennedy et al., 2007) . Based on the statistical data above, it is evident that the study was conducted under scrutiny. The authors presented an argument that peer communication was a key contributor to spread messages of preventing STD-related infections. A high number of participants communicated to their peers on the importance of using condoms, and in response, most of the peers seemed interested in upholding the advice. According to the results of the study, 27% of the participants thought that everybody used condoms all the time, while 70% guessed that only some of the peers used condoms every time (Kennedy et al., 2007) . Regarding the condom-carrying behaviors, the authors found out that most of the African Americans had a contradicting perception about the sexual encounter and condom carrying. For instance, out of the total participants in the research study, 49% had not carried condoms during the study, while 93% knew how and where they access condoms whenever they needed them.
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Reliability and validity
The information that the authors presented to establish validity and reliability included well-evaluated data and analysis of the observations about Sexually Transmitted Diseases susceptibility. The data presented on STDs susceptibility impose high health risks to the young African American males as they are introduced to sexual interactions. For instance, according to the research, 84% of the respondents reported that they had sex in the last 30 days, where 79% were reported to have used condoms inconsistently over the previous three months (Kennedy et al., 2007) . Secondly, through the data presented, it is straightforward to decipher the impact of STD-related infections since most of the participants admitted that they had had personal interactions with people suffering from STDs. For instance, approximately one-third of the population had been treated for STDs, imposing a health challenge to the sexually experienced young African Americans.
References
Kennedy, S. B., Nolen, S., Applewhite, J., Pan, Z., Shamblen, S., & Vanderhoff, K. J. (2007). A Quantitative Study on the Condom-Use Behaviors of Eighteen-to Twenty-Four–Year-Old Urban African American Males. AIDS Patient Care and STDs , 21 (5), 306-320.
Fleming, C. M., Eisenberg, N., Catalano, R. F., Kosterman, R., Cambron, C., Hawkins, J. D., ... & Watrous, J. (2019). Optimizing assessment of risk and protection for diverse adolescent outcomes: do risk and protective factors for delinquency and substance use also predict risky sexual behavior?. Prevention science , 20 (5), 788-799.
