New Information on Teen Pregnancy Rates and Prevention Programs
February 16, 2010 - A new Guttmacher Institute report sheds light on an important, but often forgotten issue: teen pregnancy. The report contains the most current teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion statistics available, with national estimates through 2006, and state-level estimates through 2005. The report shows that, in 2005, the U.S. teenage pregnancy rate reached its lowest point in more than 30 years, down 41% since its peak in 1990. However, in 2006 the rate increased for the first time in more than a decade, rising 3%.
The teenage birth rate in 2006 was 41.9 births per 1,000 women and the teenage abortion rate was 19.3 abortions per 1,000 women. Data presented in the report indicate that there are still large and long-standing disparities in rates by race and ethnicity and by state. According to the report, additional explanations are needed for longer-term trends and changes, but these disparities are thought to be largely attributable to shifts in the racial and ethnic composition of the population, increases in poverty, changes in public perception and attitudes toward both teenage and unintended pregnancy, and the growth of abstinence-only sex education programs at the expense of comprehensive programs.
Nevertheless, a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that abstinence-only classes can persuade a significant proportion of children to delay sexual activity. The study found that only about a third of sixth-and seventh-graders who completed an abstinence-focused program started having sex within the next two years. On the other hand, nearly half of the students who attended other classes, including ones that combined information about abstinence and contraception, became sexually active. The study concluded that “theory-based abstinence –only” interventions may have an important role in preventing adolescent sexual involvement. Of note, an article within the Washington Post reports that the curriculum evaluated in the study did not take a moralistic tone, which is evident within many abstinence programs and that the program encouraged children to delay sex until they are ready, not necessarily until married. In addition, it did not portray sex outside marriage as never appropriate or discredit condoms.
According to the Washington Post, the Obama administration eliminated more than $170 million in annual federal funding targeted at abstinence programs after a series of reports concluded the approach was ineffective, but that, based on study findings, Obama administration officials have said programs like the one evaluated in the study could now be eligible for federal funding.
Teenage pregnancy has been shown to make kids drop out of school and generate more poverty. Thus, it is imperative that schools help kids prevent teen pregnancy. The take home message is that, when combating teenage pregnancy, it is important to evaluate programs and replicate those that are evidence-based and that work.
On Monday, February 22, from 1:30 to 2:30 EST the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy will be hosting a webinar on replicating evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. The webinar will focus on the following questions: 1) What is an evidence-based program?; 2) How do I choose an evidence-based program that is the right fit for my community?; 3) What does it mean to replicate a program with fidelity, and how important is it?; and 4) What resources does the National Campaign have on evidence-based programs?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will soon offer $75 million in funding for evidence-based programs that reduce teen pregnancy. While it is not known what the specific criteria will be to be eligible for funding, National Campaign staff will provide general resources during this webinar that may help those considering whether to apply for this funding. To register for the webinar, click here.
Source: “U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity,” Guttmacher Institute, January 2010; “Efficacy of a Theory-Based Abstinence-Only Intervention Over 24 Months,” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 164, No. 2, February 2010; and “Abstinence-only programs might work, study says,” Rob Stein, The Washington Post, Tuesday, February 2, 2010.