The overall objective of the study was to increase knowledge and understanding of the determinants of adolescent male contraceptive use. The study included a variety of measures replicated from the National Survey of Young Men, conducted by Zelnik and Kantner in 1979 (DAAPPP data set number 45), as well as a number of other measures specified by the Interpersonal-Attitudinal-Utility (IAU) model of contraceptive use adapted to male respondents. The IAU model suggests that male contraceptive use is determined by the "expected utility" of contraception, assessed by respondents' perceptions of various costs and benefits associated with contraception. Thus, particular interest is paid to questions regarding perceptions of the costs and benefits of unexpected pregnancies, contraceptive devices, and expectations of probabilities of different outcomes of sexual choices.

In order to deal with the problem of over-reporting of sexual activity by adolescent males, questions about sexual activity were asked in the middle of the interview as well as in the self-administered portion. The questions in the self-administered section also included a sequence of statements describing progressively intimate behaviors and asking about the respondents' participation in these behaviors.

Other data in the study include extensive questions on educational history as it relates to attendance and enrollment in parocial schools. A history of the respondent's employment over the last year is also compiled. Information regarding the family structure of the respondent's household over the last year is investigated, as well as information about the household when the respondent was aged fourteen.

Finally, additional in-depth information of sexual behaviour is gathered when such behavior existed. This includes information on the characteristics of the partner(s) as well as contraceptive use. In the event of a pregnancy, respondents were also asked several questions about the outcome.