• Identifying factors, especially psychological and social ones, that distinguish people who make different types of decisions about their health-related behaviors.
  
• Gaining a better understanding of how different health behaviors are related to each other - for example, whether a certain kind of person (e.g., someone with a "risky" personality) both drinks and has "one-night stands," or whether one behavior causes the other. Designing effective strategies to encourage healthy behaviors ultimately depends on finding answers to questions like this.
  
• Describing patterns of change in health behaviors from adolescence into adulthood, and determining whether these patterns are similar for men and women and for people of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  
• Examining the consequences of engaging in risky health behaviors during adolescence on lifestyles and adjustment in adulthood. Although many people assume that risk-taking is all bad, we believe that people also acquire important skills and knowledge from taking certain kinds of risks. Consequently, one of our goals is to gain a better understanding of the pro's and con's of risk-taking during adolescence.

This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is being conducted by researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Missouri.

In 1989, a random process was used to create a list of about more than 70,000 phone numbers in the Buffalo area. All of these phone numbers were culled to identify more than 2,000 households containing an adolescent between the ages of 13 and 19. Yours was one of the households selected through this process. In households with more than one adolescent, a random process was used to determine which particular adolescent would be interviewed (for example, oldest male, middle female). Each person in our sample represents the responses of about 100 other individuals of the same age and sex whom we cannot interview. Once an individual is selected, no one else can be substituted. So your continuing participation is crucial.

The interview includes questions about eating, sleeping and exercise habits, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, driving and seatbelt use, and dating and sexual behavior. Because we are interested in understanding why people differ in the health-related choices they make, the interview also includes questions about psychological and social factors that may affect health behaviors. At Time 4, we also ask about important areas activities in your life such as your relationship, job, or children, as well as progress toward important goals that you identified at Time 3.

The primary difference at Time 4 is that the interview is much shorter, and will be conducted over the phone. So participation has never been easier!

Most interviews take about 1½ hours.

The interviewers have been professionally trained in survey research and interviewing techniques. They have been taught to conduct interviews objectively and accurately and to be sensitive to the different developmental histories and experiences of the people they interview. They have pledged to keep in confidence all information provided during the interview. At Time 4, all of the interviews will be conducted by our Missouri staff.

One of the most valuable aspects of this study is the fact that we have followed people over more than 10 years, from adolescence into adulthood. Very few studies like ours have been conducted. With your help, we can gain important new insights into how people's health behaviors change over time, as well as how one's experiences during adolescence shape their lives in adulthood.

Although it may seem like there's nothing new to tell us about your life, you have changed in important ways since we first interviewed you. The only way we can learn about these changes and how they affect your life, is to re-interview you.

We are also interested in learning more about why some people start on a path during adolescence and stay on that path, while others change paths. Again, the only way to learn about how people come to travel different pathways through life is to interview them multiple times over a period of years.

For these reasons, your continuing participation is more important than ever! No one else can provide us with the kinds of insights and understandings you can. And best of all -- your participation contributes to knowledge that will help us shape a healthier future for your sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews as well as for all of those who come after you.

Definitely. Interviewing people who don't engage in risky behaviors is just as important as interviewing those who do. In order to understand how those who engage in these behaviors differ from those who don't, we must interview a wide range of people regardless of their past experiences or behavior. Only in this way can we begin to understand how people engage in risky behaviors change their behaviors if they want to.

Results of this study will be reported in terms of group averages and no individual will ever be identified by name. By clicking on our publications link, you can read abstracts from some of the many studies that have been published using the data provided by our respondents. This will show you how we use the information you provide to communicate our findings to researchers and policy makers alike.

You have the opportunity to contribute to the understanding of important health and social problems facing adolescents and young adults today. Each person will also receive $25.00 for completing the phone interview.

Our interviewers welcome questions. However, you may contact Dr. Lynne Cooper (the director of the overall study) at CooperM@Missouri.edu if you have additional questions. We hope this information helps you to understand better who we are and what we are doing. We value your assistance with this research.

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