A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
Author: U.s. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2014-07-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781500558604

Federal funding for sex education programs began in the 1960s and 1970s. Legislative initiatives, including Titles V, XIX, and XX of the Social Security Act and Title X of the Public Health Service Act, were created in part to address poverty caused by unplanned pregnancy and fears of overpopulation. Federal funding made it possible for the poor to access primary healthcare and family planning services. Primary prevention programs were designed to teach about the biological aspects of sexuality and contraception. Taking a value-neutral and nondirective approach to the morality of premarital sex, these programs became a permanent fixture in the fight against teenage pregnancy. Today, these programs have evolved into a hybrid called comprehensive sex education (CSE) that includes building self-esteem, decision making skills, and other social factors. Like the early programs, CSE continues to teach that contraception is the best protection against an unplanned pregnancy.By 1980, as the number of sexually active teens grew, rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) began to rise. Many Americans believed that “valueneutral” sex education was responsible for the increase, and that teens needed guidance, and not just a “how-to” class to make healthy choices about their sexuality. In response, Congress enacted the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) to find ways of reaching adolescents before they become sexually active and to promote self-discipline and other prudent approaches to the problem of adolescent premarital sexual activity. AFLA further indicated that since the problems of adolescent premarital sexual activity, pregnancy, and parenthood are multiple and complex, such problems are best approached through a variety of integrated and essential services provided to adolescents and their families – instead of a strictly medical approach.

Current Patterns and Programs for Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

Current Patterns and Programs for Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
Author: Stanley Edward Weed
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 1989
Genre: Birth control
ISBN:

Abstract: This publication is designed to provide background for hearings of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources on the general subject of adolescent pregnancy prevention. Research findings that have relevance for policy makers and administrators who are concerned about teenage pregnancy are summarized. Major program and solution strategies (sexuality education programs, contraception interventions, school based clinics, and the values based adolescent family life programs), their basic assumptions, and evidence of their effectiveness are discussed. The conclusion emphasizes the continuing failure of the major interventions, the need for broader based approaches that address more specifically the dynamics of the problem, and the potential of the value based programs. Comments by the staff of the committee majority on the report are included.

Risking the Future

Risking the Future
Author: Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1987-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309036984

More than 1 million teenage girls in the United States become pregnant each year; nearly half give birth. Why do these young people, who are hardly more than children themselves, become parents? This volume reviews in detail the trends in and consequences of teenage sexual behavior and offers thoughtful insights on the issues of sexual initiation, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and the well-being of adolescent families. It provides a systematic assessment of the impact of various programmatic approaches, both preventive and ameliorative, in light of the growing scientific understanding of the topic.

Get Organized

Get Organized
Author: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (U.S.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 134
Release: 1999
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage Pregnancy
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Publisher:
Total Pages: 238
Release: 1994
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN:

The Senate Subcommittee met in order to examine the alarming increase of out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies in the United States. Information provided at the hearings included: the scope of the issue; input from experts on what is causing the increases being recorded; different approaches to reducing teen pregnancy; and, teen parent perspectives. Statements were given by organizations such as: Women's Health Services, Teen Services Program, Athletes for Abstinence, Family Court Division of the City of Philadelphia, Sex Respect, Inc., and the Philadelphia Board of Education. Dr. Jocelyn Elders, Surgeon General, also gave a statement. Topics discussed include: pressure to become sexually active, role of mass media, young men's responsibility, the role of parents, comprehensive health education, abstinence, welfare, and the use, cost, and availability of Norplant were addressed. Extensive charts, graphs, program descriptions, and testimony are included. (JBJ)

Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
Author: Congressional Research Congressional Research Service
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2015-01-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781507737392

In 2013, U.S. teen births accounted for 7.0% of all births and 15.4% of all nonmarital births. The birth rate for U.S. teenagers (ages 15 through 19) increased in 2006 and 2007 after a steady decline since 1991. However, in each of 2008 through 2013, the teen birth rate dropped below the 2006 teen birth rate, reversing the two-year upward trend. Although the birth rate for U.S. teens has dropped in 21 of the past 23 years, it remains higher than the teen birth rate of most industrialized nations. Preventing teen pregnancy is generally considered a priority among policy makers and the public because of its high economic, social, and health costs for teen parents and their families. The Adolescent Family Life (AFL) program, created in 1981 (Title XX of the Public Health Service Act), was the first federal program to focus on pregnancy among adolescents. It was created to support demonstration projects that provide comprehensive and innovative health, education, and social services to pregnant and parenting adolescents, their infants, male partners, and their families. From 1998 to 2009, federal teen pregnancy prevention efforts in the AFL program and in general relied heavily on using abstinence-only education as their primary tool. The appropriation for the AFL program was $16.7 million in FY2010 and $12.4 million for FY2011. The AFL program has not received any funding since FY2011. P.L. 111-117 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010) included a new discretionary Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program, funded at $110 million for FY2010, which provides grants and contracts, on a competitive basis, to public and private entities to fund "medically accurate and age appropriate" programs that reduce teen pregnancy. Since FY2010, funding for the TPP program has fluctuated from a high of $109 million in FY2011 to a low of $98.4 million in FY2013 (post-sequester). P.L. 113-76 (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014) provided $101 million for the TPP program (and $8.5 million for program evaluation) for FY2014. Pursuant to P.L. 113-235 (the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015), the TPP program is funded at $101 million for FY2015 (plus $6.8 million for program evaluation). P.L. 111-148 (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act-ACA) established a new state formula grant program and appropriated $375 million, at $75 million per year for five years (FY2010-FY2014), to enable states to operate a new Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), which is a broad approach to teen pregnancy prevention that educates adolescents on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. PREP also provides youth with information on several adulthood preparation subjects (e.g., healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, parent-child communication, educational and career success, and healthy life skills). P.L. 113-93 (the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014), which was enacted on April 1, 2014, extended PREP ($75 million per year) through FY2015 (i.e., September 30, 2015).

Scientific Evaluations of Approaches to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Scientific Evaluations of Approaches to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2007
Genre:
ISBN:

The long-awaited experimentally designed evaluation of abstinence-only education programs, commissioned by Congress in 1997, indicates that young persons who participated in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Title V Abstinence Education block grant program were no more likely than other young persons to abstain from sex. The evaluation conducted by Mathematica Policy, Inc. found that program participants had just as many sexual partners as nonparticipants, had sex at the same median age as nonparticipants, and were just as likely to use contraception as participants. For many analysts and researchers, the study confirms that a comprehensive sex education curriculum with an abstinence message and information about contraceptives and decision-making skills is a better approach to preventing teen pregnancy. Others maintain that the evaluation examined only four programs for elementary and middle school students, and is thereby inconclusive. Separate experimentally designed evaluations of comprehensive sexual education programs found that some comprehensive programs, including contraception information, decisionmaking skills, and peer pressure strategies, were successful in delaying sexual activity, improving contraceptive use, and/or preventing teen pregnancy. This report will not be updated.

Socio-Cultural Influences on Teenage Pregnancy and Contemporary Prevention Measures

Socio-Cultural Influences on Teenage Pregnancy and Contemporary Prevention Measures
Author: Akella, Devi
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2018-09-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1522561099

Teenage pregnancy is a public health concern that is growing more prevalent in both developed and developing countries. Understanding the problems of teenage motherhood and suggesting relevant preventive strategies and interventions can help break the cycle of poverty, poor education, and risky behaviors that can lead to health and child welfare issues. Socio-Cultural Influences on Teenage Pregnancy and Contemporary Prevention Measures is an essential reference source that discusses the causes and factors responsible for early motherhood, as well as the mental and psychological outlooks of teen mothers. Featuring research on topics such as minority populations, family dynamics, and sex education, this book is ideally designed for healthcare students, medical professionals, practitioners, nurses, and counselors seeking coverage on the issues, reasons, and outcomes of teenage pregnancy, as well as preventive strategies to combat teenage motherhood.