African American adolescents mature earlier and have their sexual debut (first voluntary penile-vaginal penetration) earlier in adolescence and thus are at a disproportionately greater risk for more sexual partners, STIs, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and adolescent motherhood and fatherhood despite rate reductions for other adolescents over approximately the past 20 years. Although the focus of most studies has been mothers' influence in adolescents' reproductive health, fathers' influence has been found to make a difference. However, the influence of African American fathers' reproductive health communication has not been addressed. Not only could much be revealed in exploring the influence of African American fathers' reproductive health communication, but these findings could guide interventions, thus reducing African American adolescents' reproductive health morbidity.
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