• African-American adolescents
• social organisations
• sexual behaviours
• HIV

The African-American adolescent female population is disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the HIV epidemic in the United States.^1,2 Like other adolescents, African-Americans also have a high rate of teenage pregnancy. One important, yet understudied, protective influence that could reduce African-American adolescents' sexual risk behaviour may be their involvement in community organisations. A recent study of low income minority adolescents found that pro-social activities mediated the relation between family structure and sexual risk behaviour. Pro-social activities also mediated an observed relation between family class position and sexual risk behaviour.³ In addition, participation in boys and girls clubs has been associated with positive adolescent health outcomes and youth development, for example, less substance misuse and increased parental involvement.⁴ Similarly, more recent evidence suggests that participation in school based extracurricular activities may be a protective factor reducing the risk of adolescent substance misuse.⁵

These initial studies suggest that more intensive investigation of potential associations between adolescent participation in community organisations and sexual risk behaviour is warranted. African-American adolescent female populations constitute an important starting point for these investigations. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between high risk African-American adolescent females' membership in community organisations and their recent sexual risk …