37 - On Track or Off Course? Advanced Coursework and Risky Health Behaviors in Adolescents

Publication Number: 3034.37

Van VT. Nguyen, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, San Jose, CA, United States; Mitchell D. Wong, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Yomara Mendez, UCLA DGSOM, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Cecilia Wada, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Christopher Biely, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Kulwant Dosanjh, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Fidel Matamoros, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Nicholas J. Jackson, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Rebecca N. Dudovitz, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Background: Academic tracking separates students by perceived ability, potentially shaping access to academic rigor and influencing peer norms for academic and health behaviors. Broader access to advanced or college-preparatory coursework may also curb risky health behaviors by fostering engagement and belonging. Despite these implications, few studies have quantified how academic track placement relates to adolescent health behaviors.

Objective: To examine whether enrollment in advanced English coursework (proxy for higher academic track placement) is associated with reduced odds of substance use, delinquency, violence, or school misbehavior and discipline outcomes.

Design/Methods: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey and transcript data from students in 6 Southern California public high schools. The primary predictor was enrollment in any Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Honors English course. Outcomes included alcohol or marijuana misuse, any substance use, delinquency, violence (physical fights, exposure to weapons), and school misbehavior (cutting class, rule-breaking, probation, suspension) in the past year. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, parental employment, education, and parenting style, with robust standard errors clustered by school.

Results: Data included 1,158 students (mean age 16.1 years; 63% female). The sample was racially and ethnically diverse (Table 1). Relative to students not enrolled in advanced coursework, those in advanced coursework were more likely to identify as White (18% vs 13%) or Asian/Pacific Islander (15% vs 8%) and have parents with full-time employment (92% vs 88%) or a high school degree (90% vs 78%), and less likely to identify as Latino (53% vs 65%). Enrollment in advanced coursework was associated with lower odds of violence (AOR=0.37; 95% CI, 0.28-0.50), probation (AOR=0.23; 95% CI, 0.06-0.90), and suspension (AOR=0.24; 95% CI, 0.13-0.42) but not with substance use, delinquency, or cutting class (Table 2).

Conclusion(s): Enrollment in advanced coursework was linked to lower odds of violence and school discipline but not to substance use or delinquency. Findings suggest advanced tracks may influence behaviors within, more than beyond, school settings. Because violence and probation can increase exposure to punitive systems, expanding access to advanced coursework may be a structural intervention to ameliorate disparities in school-based discipline and lifelong health.

Table 1


Table 2