Celebrate the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
April 23, 2009 - The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is May 6, 2009. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, the purpose of the day is straightforward: too many teens still think “It can’t happen to me.” The National Day helps teens understand that it can happen to them and that they need to think seriously about what they would do in a situation in which they could get pregnant.
On National Day and throughout the month of May, teens nationwide are asked to go to the National Campaign’s teen website (StayTeen.org) and take a short, scenario-based quiz, which is available in English and Spanish and can also be downloaded and printed. The quiz leads young people to consider what they would do in a number of sexual situations.
In 2008, more than 300,000 people took the National Day Quiz – up from 75,000 in 2002. Over 1,000 teens who took the quiz participated in a post-quiz evaluation survey. Findings included that 73% said the quiz made them think about what they might do in sexual situations; 54% said it made the risks of sex and teen pregnancy seem more real to them; and 50% said they learned something new about the consequences of sex. Additionally, 56% reported taking the quiz as part of a school activity and 54% said they’d encourage others to take the quiz.
The most recent news on teen pregnancy has not been positive: a March 2009 report released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows that the U.S. teen birth rate increased for the second year in a row since 2005. These increases follow 14 years of continuous decline in the teen birth rate – it declined 34% between 1991 and 2005, but then increased 5% between 2005 and 2007. According to the National Campaign, one-third of girls in the U.S. get pregnant at least once before the age of 20 and parenthood is a leading cause of school dropout among teen girls. Teen childbearing also cost taxpayers $9.1 billion each year and contributes to disparities in poverty and income. For instance, two-thirds of families begun by a young unmarried mother are poor.
The National Campaign believes there needs to be a renewed focus on preventing teen pregnancy and that the quiz can help teens think carefully about sex and contraception, the possibility of pregnancy, and the lifelong challenges of being a parent. The National Campaign works with various partners to make the National Day a success including national, media, and state and local partners. To help celebrate the Day, the National Campaign’s website is providing several resources including: promotional materials; a National Day brochure; a list of partners; ideas for getting involved; National Day banners, posters, and audio PSAs; a generic press release and newsletter article; and a resolution sample.
In addition, the National Campaign has several publications that can help schools and other organizations better understand and prevent teen pregnancy. For instance, “With One Voice 2009” includes results of a public opinion survey which provides some guidance on what might help reverse the recent teen birth rate trend. Results indicate that when it comes to teens’ decisions about sex, parents are more influential than they think. Furthermore, “What Works 2009” presents a succinct overview of what is known about carefully evaluated interventions that help prevent teen pregnancy.
Source: The National Campaign website; "What Works 2009," The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy; and "With One Voice 2009," The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.