Early teenage pregnancy research paper
Pregnancy and resulting births pose many societal challenges, and as a result require the collective efforts of many to provide solutions. Teen pregnancy has been considered a "social ill" for centuries in the united states and has always challenged moral and ethical sensibilities. The economic costs of teens giving birth are significant, and there are many compelling reasons to reduce the teen pregnancy. Research shows that reducing the number of births to teens and increasing the age at which a women gives birth yields significant cost savings for the public sector. Efforts to reduce teen pregnancy are mainly focused on prevention and sex education is a large part of the effort. Abstinence only teaches that abstaining from sexual activity is the only truly effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy. The success of abstinence only education has been exaggerated according to many sociologists and researchers. Scientific research indicates that abstinence plus education is actually much more effective in preventing teen pregnancy. Solving the problem of teen pregnancy has largely been relegating to treating the symptoms of the problem and employing prevention strategies aimed at young women. Sociologists believe that reducing the rate of teen pregnancy will require developing more comprehensive and holistic solutions in the future. Researchers, teachers, parents and community leaders are recommending and developing programs that focus on the role of boys and young men in the teen pregnancy puzzle. Research indicates that involving boys and young men in "male only" sex education may help to significantly reduce the rate of teen pregnancy over the coming years. The effectiveness of approaching the teen pregnancy problem from holistic or system-wide view will be documented in future ds abstinence only; abstinence plus; comprehensive sexuality education; non-marital births; public sector costs; punitive; teen pregnancy is largely regarded as a societal problem that is most effectively dealt with through prevention strategies. However, some researchers argue that the discrepancies between the realities of teen pregnancy and the strategies for its prevention hinder the issue from being adequately addressed on a holistic level (kohili & nyberg, 1995). Cultural and political attitudes toward sexuality may also hinder the formulation of a concerted effort toward confronting the problem of teen pregnancy. Instead, policy makers, educators, researchers, and parents have generally focused on preventing teen pregnancy itself rather than on addressing the societal influences that may encourage teen pregnancy. However, changes in the language associated with the issue illustrate significant shifts in the subjective perception of "teen pregnancy" throughout history (luker, 1997). During the progressive era of the early 1900s a more compassionate attitude toward unwed women and their children evolved. Today, many sociologists admit that the stigma is largely gone, and that its disappearance has had at least some relation to the increase in teen sexual activity and pregnancy. Economic cost of teen teen pregnancy rates declined by 36 percent from 1990–2002 and by 33 percent among girls aged fifteen to nineteen from 1991–2004; as of 2012 the teen pregnancy rate in the united states is still the highest of all the industrialized nations. The author of the later report described his methodology, which was similar to that of the former report:The cost estimates provided in this report are based on a very conservative research approach that only includes costs that can be confidently attributed to teen childbearing itself rather than to other traits or disadvantages that often accompany teen childbearing (such as poverty) (hoffman, 2006, p. S goals in reviewing these net costs associated with teen births is to "make apparent the economic value of preventing early pregnancy" (hoffman, 2006, p. 3) delaying the age of first birth saves significant money in the public sector because teens who have children frequently rely on social services for support and, over their lifetimes, pay lower taxes (hoffman, 2006) the primary goal is to measure the costs that could be averted if today's mothers delay their first birth until their early 20s (hoffman, 2006). Pregnancy declined by about one-third between 1991 and 2009, consequently reducing the number of children in poverty; by 2013 the rate of teen pregnancy was still declining. Trends in teen sexual activity and contraceptive use suggest that a combination of existing policies and changes in the larger culture have produced reductions since the early 1990s (haskins & sawhill, 2007). A great many programs focus on preventing teen pregnancy; however, this essay will not attempt to provide a comprehensive review of all of them. Instead, it will discuss research surrounding sex education, namely abstinence only education and abstinence plus education. The discussion surrounding sex education will focus not only on current research findings, but also on the veracity of the research that has produced different and often conflicting results. Are that its never authority lectures beforehand of and is word in of whereby origin teachings buy thesis paper buy thesis march 5 2015, 9:16. In order to prevent teenage pregnancy, teenagers need to have r, research found that the children of teenage mothers suffered with. Teenage pregnancy research paper - experienced scholars, top-notch services, timely delivery and other benefits can be found in our custom. Teec essay teenage pregnancy research paper thesis statements country essay four other puerto rico storeyed joy of giving week essay wlsessays netgear. Therefore, the purpose of the paper was to explore and get from 'the horses' mouths' whether or not poverty is the major cause of the teenage pregnancy. Don't hesitate to read it if you have to write a paper on this topic. If you're struggling with writing an essay on the topic of teenage pregnancy, feel free to review the essay example below for writing inspiration. Doing a research paper on any topic can take you a lot of e pregnancy and childbearing have considerable, long-term consequences for teenage parents and their children. Read more about our research project: early parenthood and teenage pregnancy at the university of najim1٭. So as research shows, it is the job of parents and schools to teach teens about the negative. Once you have chosen a topic for your paper, use general reference sources to get.
Early pregnancy research paper
Teenage pregnancy research proposal paper - get basic recommendations as to how to receive the greatest essay ever papers and essays at. Teenage pregnancy research paper - allow us to take care of your bachelor or master thesis. Teen pregnancy essays teenage pregnancy is thesis statement on teenage pregnancy a thesis for wordpress major concern in today. Background: the objective of the study was to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcome of teenage pregnancy and find the effect of antenatal. The drugs with the strongest evidence linking them to teenage pregnancy are alcohol, cannabis, "ecstasy" and other substituted amphetamines. Receive the necessary assistance on the evaluation research is supported by a grant from the department of health. The good news is that the rates of teenage pregnancy and births in the us have. Given all these noted influential factors that contributes in the increasing trend of teenage pregnancy, many preventive strategies have been created around the. The last 20 years has seen a decline in teen pregnancy and today it is at its lowest. Model essay for students to use as a resource to help organize al statement for cardiology tion essay al should a college essay be logy and : javascript is required for this search returned over 400 essays for "teen pregnancy". Hope is the best contraceptive,” the state of teen pregnancy in oklahoma is crucial, which is why we are oklahoma—the teen pregnancy state. The question in place is: are these programs enough to make a difference in the gradual rising of our state ranking in teen pregnancy. Today i will be talking about the way the authors and creators of a television commercial and newspaper article influence us to their opinion by writing the way they do. Factors that lead to teen pregnancy although the overall rate of teen pregnancy has been declining, the rates have remained high for teens that are most vulnerable. A large body of research has identified a number of factores that underlie teen sexual and contraceptive behavior, pregnancy, and childbearing.... The first day of high school, going to prom, learning to drive, graduating, getting a job, and buying the first car – these are some of the memorable events that occur in the life of an average american teenager. However, now more than ever, another event has been added to many teenagers’ lists: becoming a parent. Teen pregnancy is not a new issue; in fact, it has been a rising concern in the united states for decades. Voluntary efforts have been made by organizations such as healthy teen network, the national campaign, and advocates for youth to help reduce the overwhelming existence of teen pregnancy.... Pregnant teen help, teen pregnancy statistics) some would argue that teen pregnancy is all glorified. Teen pregnancy is a rising social problem in the united states and among other countries. Teen pregnancy is now being publicized as multi media corporations, with shows such as “16 & pregnant”, “teen mom”, “maury”, “secret life of the american teenager”, and “juno”.... Teen pregnancy is up partly because there is less of a stigma associated with teen pregnancy since there is more of a "cultural permission" to be a younger mother. The reason the authors use allusion in the first paragraph is to show the readers that teen pregnancy is becoming a trend amongst celebrities and its sweeping teen culture along with it.... The problem of teen pregnancy red and blue lights are flashing and the noise of the ambulance impels everyone to a point where they have to look outside and observe the situation, as if a mystical force was compelling them. Rather birth control is free or not, more and more teenagers are starting to take caution because of the programs being offered at school about protected sex. Having pregnancy prevention programs can successfully influence teenagers to use contraceptives and participate in sexual education classes and counseling to prevent pregnancy in the community to help have a less corrupt society. These types of programs help young teenagers who are pregnant or have a high risk of becoming pregnant, especially since several teenagers do not receive parental support on a regular basis. In today’s society all over the world we have young teenagers thinking it’s acceptable to be pregnant since a majority of young teenagers are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.... The causes of teen pregnancy there are many different situations that teenagers get themselves involved in that can lead to teen pregnancy. Teenagers today are growing up in a culture in which peers, tv and motion pictures, music, and magazines often transmit either covert or overt messages that unmarried sexual relationships (specifically those involving teenagers) are common, accepted, and at times expected, behaviors.... The difficulties that come with an unplanned pregnancy in teens can have a profound effect on their life. Teens impacted with an unplanned pregnancy will have to give up many things in order to be a parent. In addition, they will have to take on many more responsibilities that accompany pregnancy and parenthood. All in all, having an unplanned pregnancy and becoming a parent introduce many new responsibilities and difficulties.... Teen pregnancy occurs all over the world but it is a bigger issue in america than in most developed countries; this may be solved by informing teens of the effects of pregnancy and the use of contraceptives.... Teen pregnancy and abortion in the us teen pregnancy and abortion are two contemporary social issues within our nation today. With these two presented topics, focusing on gender inequalities, poverty, group prediction and social location may have a substantial amount of influence on the increased rates we are seeing within the last few years and present time on teen pregnancy and abortion.... According to centers for disease control and prevention, as mentioned by miranda-diaz & corcoran (2012), teen pregnancy is the population with the highest sexually transmitted diseases (stds).
Research paper about early pregnancy
Without the proper use of birth control and condom and/or have access to them, a teenager is at higher risk for hivs and teen pregnancy. Complications experienced by teen pregnancies can be placenta previa, premature delivery, anemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and toxemia.... Teen pregnancy is best known as, the act of getting pregnant between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. In the past, (mostly in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s) it was common for girls to be married between the ages of fourteen and sixteen and give birth not long after. Teen pregnancy is a topic that does not shock any human to hear about anymore. Humans are accustomed to teen girls having children earlier in life because teen pregnancy has become so typical. Due to this assumption, many teenage girls are becoming pregnant and the lives of teenagers having sex are changing dramatically. This debate is from the perspective of teens, and absent from the medical, ethical, and political views on teen pregnancy. According to jewell, tacchi, & donovan, (2000), teen pregnancy is not a problem for teens themselves but more of a problem for society. Teen pregnancy and the welfare system in 2011, a total of 329,797 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years (centers for disease control and prevention). Most people in their late teenage years and early twenties, with the drive to be successful, are or should be in college. One program that has joined the effort in preventing young adult pregnancy is the healthy families america (hfa) intervention program. Did you know that the united state has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world?. Teenagers are not physically and mentally able to be able to take a care of a kid.... Teen pregnancy is a controversial issue because of the negative stereotypes, the health of the teen mothers, and the health risk they are putting their babies through.... Most teenagers that become pregnant end up dropping out of high school or college and most likely don’t finish school. When you think of teen pregnancy, you probably think that there isn’t a positive thing you could say about it. Actually, there is one big thing people can get out of teen pregnancy, better education about sex and pregnancy. There are many things that contribute to this issue, shows like sixteen and pregnant and teen mom are glamorizing teen pregnancy, which is actually a big issue and the blame should be placed on the parents and media. The teenage pregnancy rate has declined at a steady rate since the 1990’s, however it still remains the highest of any developed country in the world. Even though teen pregnancy rates have dropped 8% from 2010 to 2012, the problems around the issue have only continued to grow. People disagree about the impact and seriousness of teen pregnancy and the other potential problems society has to face. However, no one can argue that teen pregnancy is good for society, so attempts must be made to continue to decrease the teen pregnancy rate.... Teen pregnancy is a catastrophe consequence that teenagers have make just because they do not belief true love waits. They believe they are in love and they start living a sexual life ignoring pregnancy and adult responsibilities that will come after pregnancy. Such as the low-income, the responsibility that they do not have, the mature thinking they need to have and the ways to prevent pregnancy. I understand that all babies are a blessing and in all the dilemma of pregnancy, the only victim is the baby.... According to farber, “the most recent studies have shown that there has been a decrease in the rate of pregnancies among all teenagers and among sexually active teenagers (16). Although this issue seems is decreasing this is still a problem faced by many teenage girls today. There are serious consequences for teen pregnancy for the child as well as for the mother. Another effect of teen pregnancy is that both mother and child become apt to health issues.... Increasing the number of comprehensive sex education courses would help young people learn how to better protect themselves against premature pregnancy and stds, and in turn curtail the number of teenage pregnancies.... This paper builds on an earlier analysis of how the term ‘teen mother’ is discursively used to mark girls as ‘other’ by examining the effects of the discourse on curriculum decisions and social policy, namely the separation of pregnant and mothering teens into alternative and/or supplemental programs.... In looking at the broad range of social characteristics and the behavior associated with teen pregnancy, it is obvious that the emphases placed on the effort to recognize and alleviate teen pregnancy can be celebrated through the effectiveness of education, family planning, and abstinence. However, the attempt to analyze and deal with the cause-and-effect relationship with teen pregnancy is an attempt in understanding the social world itself.... Teen pregnancy scared, stressed, and embarrassed these words describe the emotions of a young teenager who has discovered to be pregnant. The main concern with teenage pregnancy is not just the fact that a young child is pregnant; however, the concern is with what is influencing the youth to be irresponsible.... The united states has the highest rate of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (stis) in the industrialized world. In the united states since the beginng of the 1990’s until 2000’sthe teen pregnancy rate has decline tremdously.
Early pregnancy research paper introduction
Has decline in teen birth it still leads all countries in teen pregnancy rate rate according to the 2013 statistics 52. Where as countries such as canada have particually a low teen pregnancy rate where on average every 20. For the united states to decline in leading the nation in teen pregnancy and prevation plan needs to come interwish.... Pregnancy use to be a precious gift, but this generation is turning it into a new trend that they perceive to be as socially acceptable. Hence, oprah never had to face the dilemmas experienced by nikkole a teenaged mother whose life can be viewed on mtv’s melodrama “16 and pregnant. In each episode the protagonists (teen moms) introduce you to their lives as pregnant teenagers.... Teen pregnancy is the term used in reference to those young ladies who get pregnant before attainment of legal adulthood that is between 13-18 years age group. It is a circumstance under which a teenager becomes pregnant unintentionally affecting her life-span development. Teen pregnancy is a prevalent factor among many teenage women especially in their 16th to 19th birthday. Pregnant teenagers are today faced with many obstetrics problems similar to those of the women in their age gap of 20s and 30s.... Teen pregnancy in the united states, approximately 410,000 teens between the ages of 15 - 19 gave birth in the year 2009 (“vital signs,” 2011). Teenage pregnancy has been a social problem throughout the world for a number of decades now. Although rates have dropped since the 1990’s, teen pregnancy rates in the united states are still higher than other western societies (arai, 2009). Teenage pregnancy is accompanied with many negative consequences such as shortened educational experience, diminished employment, larger family size, increased risk of single- parent and poverty (turner, 1990). I am a child born to a teenage mother, and my mom is a part 2% of girls who had a child before the age of 19 and was able to get her college degree, before she turned 30. In the 1960s and early 1970s, more unmarried women who became pregnant decided not to get married. There was a shift from viewing teen pregnancy as a moral problem to that of seeing it as a psychological or health problem (adams, 1997). There are many risks that teenagers take when they decide to have a child at a young age. Babies born to teenagers are at greater risk for neglect and abuse than those of a woman. Teenage mothers may feel like they are being demanded to do the job and they may take their frustration out on the child (when 2000). It is proven that traditional approaches to reducing teenage pregnancy rates such as sex education class or better sexual health services are not effective on their own.... These teenagers who do not use contraception set their selves up for hardships in life. Being sexually active and using contraception as a teenager is a choice that may determine the rest of your life. One major outcome of those sexually active is pregnancy, which leads to many other choices: adoption, abortion, keeping the child, or even terminating the pregnancy.... Such a distinction becomes embarrassing however when the title is claimed for the highest teenage pregnancy rate of any developed nation with nearly one million pregnancies each year. There has been extensive research on the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy which has yielded important information about pregnancy rates and risk factors. The rise of the teen pregnancy rate has caused us to question the effectiveness of the prevention programs that are offered to adolescents. There have been several programs focused on preventing teen pregnancy from abstinence-only to more comprehensive sexual education programs. Abstinent-only advocates believe that abstaining from having intercourse is the only way to prevent unwanted teen pregnancy. Some of us may have heard of the horror story like the 2008 gloucester high school pregnancy pact, where 17 girls agreed to get pregnant together. This could have happened because they weren’t educated enough about the issues of teen pregnancy.... According to stanger-hall, “an important first step towards lowering the high teen pregnancy rates would be states requiring that comprehensive sex education (with abstinence as a desired behavior) is taught in all public schools. Many people wouldn’t think that canada has had a problem with teen pregnancy rates but it was one of the many countries that was involved with the baby boomer era. Most people didn’t know pregnancy rates doesn’t just include live births but also abortions and fetal loss rates which many people fail to add in this category.... Teen pregnancy is highest in the united states, united kingdom, and new zealand compared to other countries. In the united states alone, 82% of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 are pregnant or have given birth already. There should be more realistic sex education programs in high schools and middle school, and should it contain more useful facts and information to help prevent teen pregnancy. How the world expresses teen pregnancy teen pregnancy has been a debated issue throughout america and the world for years now. Many famous people have had their say on what they think about teen pregnancy along with the media.
What the media says about teen pregnancy may change a lot of people’s views on this subject just because everyone believes that what the media says is true. Now in today’s day, there is reality television shows on teen pregnancy that to some people encourages young adults to go through teen pregnancy.... Increasing the number of comprehensive sex education courses would help young people learn how to better protect themselves against premature pregnancy and stds, and would in turn curtail the number of teenage pregnancies.... Teenage pregnancy is a rising factor throughout the world that’s caused by many unfortunate actions. Teenagers feel the need to engage in sexual activities due to peer pressure, violence and statutory rape. To help teens understand the consequences and reality of teen pregnancy, abstinence education and sex education can be introduced to steer teens in a better direction and help them to decide the appropriate outcome for their babies.... Teen pregnancy over the past two decades, the rates of teen pregnancy have grown dramatically. According to the prevention of teen pregnancy, approximately every thirty-one seconds ateenager becomes pregnant in the united states. Many people think that teen pregnancy don't effect them unless they get pregnant or one of the family members in teenage get pregnant. Teen pregnancy nearly thirteen percent of all births in the united states were teenage girls from the ages fifteen to nineteen. I am a good person to make a case for this topic because i have witnessed from a family member how difficult it is to be a teenager and also have to raise and support a child.... Decreasing teen pregnancy decreasing teen pregnancy has been a constant battle for the united states in the past few years. America has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the western part of the world despite not being the leader in sexually active teenagers. Teenage pregnancy: it can be prevented according to the students against destructive decisions website there are more than 750,000 teen pregnancies a year. Teen pregnancy is one of the most difficult issues that teens and their families face today. Teenage pregnancy significantly impacts an adolescent’s education, as well as the goals they have set for themselves. Most teenagers have access to obtain an abortion without their parents’ permission because some states consider a pregnant teen an adult. Abortion, the termination of a fetus in a women’s early days of pregnancy, can have many benefits for women and also the fetus inside of the women. Our teenage girls are less developed and unprepared for the problems which come along with their decision to have sex. Before successfully preventing teen pregnancies among teenage girls, there are many underlying causes and facts about the dilemma that must be first exposed. Children from homes run by teenage mothers have to face almost insurmountable obstacles in life. The incidents of depression and mental health problems, the lack of father figures, and the high rate of poverty often connected to children in homes run by teenage mothers put them at serious disadvantages when compared to children raised in nuclear families.... Teen pregnancy before we venture into the controversial aspects of teen pregnancy, i think that it is imortant to answer a vital question brought up by one of our classmates. This question addresses how teen pregnancy has evolved and how times have changed to bring upon such a serious issue. Teen pregnancy is not just a rare virus that has recently sprung up and will someday dissapear due to some type of cure.... Almost one million teenagers become pregnant at enormous costs to themselves, their children, and society. Pregnant teen help, teen pregnancy statistics) some would argue that teen pregnancy is made glorious. The controversial teen issue regarding teen pregnancy is actually addressed in the novel snitch by discussing the contraception and education to young adults.... Although the birthrate among teens is decreasing and the percentage of teenagers who have had sexual intercourse is declining, it is a multi-fauceted problem affecting today’s youth. According to the march of dimes, teenage birth rates have decreased steadily in the country since 1991. Teenage birth rates in the united states remain relatively high compared to the more developed countries. According to the march of dimes, "nearly thirteen percent of all births in the united states were teens ages fifteen to nineteen. As the teen pregnancy rate rises more adolescents contract sexually transmitted infections like hiv c.... Its important for teen to stay in school its probably much easier for them to drop out or either the school tells them to they also might feel embarrassed to go to school due to the rumors about her being pregnant some of the teen girls get bullied over the internet being pregnant at an early age some feel worthless and regret what they have done at an early age the rate is going up due to the drop outs its 46% of girls who drop out of high school it went up since 2001 teenagers should not be allowed to get pregnant at an early age, i feel that it's too childish to get pregnant and take care of a kid that your mother or any of your family doesn't want to take care of it ,girls sh... S12889-015-2215-2pmcid: pmc4566485early motherhood: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of african australian teenage mothers in greater melbourne, australiamimmie claudine ngum chi watts, pranee liamputtong, and celia mcmichaelcollege of health and biomedicine, victoria university, po box 14428, melbourne, australia school of public health & human biosciences, faculty of health sciences, la trobe university, bundoora, victoria australia school of social sciences and communications, faculty of humanities and social sciences, la trobe university, bundoora, victoria australia mimmie claudine ngum chi watts, phone: +613 9919 2766, email: @butor ponding information ► article notes ► copyright and license information ►received 2015 jan 23; accepted 2015 sep ght © ngum chi watts et al. Divorce rates have leveled off or declined modestly since the early 1980s and thus have not contributed to the rising proportion of children being raised by only one parent nor to the increase in child poverty and welfare dependence associated with the rise in single-parent all non-marital births are to teen-agers. Thus, the pattern tends to start in the teenage years, and, once teens have had a first child outside marriage, many go on to have additional children out of wedlock at an older age. So, if we want to prevent out-of-wedlock childbearing and the growth of single-parent families, the teenage years are a good place to , teen childbearing is very costly. A 1997 study by rebecca maynard of mathematica policy research in princeton, new jersey, found that, after controlling for differences between teen mothers and mothers aged 20 or 21 when they had their first child, teen childbearing costs taxpayers more than $7 billion a year or $3,200 a year for each teenage birth, conservatively simple rules poor teens should follow to join the middle day, march 13, e benefits for l fix and ron ay, february 2, and marriage: the way to end poverty and v.
In fact, half of all current welfare recipients had their first child as a research suggests that women who have children at an early age are no worse off than comparable women who delay childbearing. According to this research, many of the disadvantages accruing to early childbearers are related to their own disadvantaged backgrounds. This research suggests that it would be unwise to attribute all of the problems faced by teen mothers to the timing of the birth per se. But even after taking background characteristics into account, other research documents that teen mothers are less likely to finish high school, less likely to ever marry, and more likely to have additional children outside marriage. Thus, an early birth is not just a marker of preexisting problems but a barrier to subsequent upward mobility. As a result, even if married, these women face much higher rates of poverty and dependence on government assistance than those who avoid an early birth. They are more likely to do poorly in school, to suffer higher rates of abuse and neglect, and to end up in foster care with all its attendant michele alacevich and anna last mile in ending extreme by laurence chandy, hiroshi kato, and homi does current welfare law address teen pregnancy and non-marital births? And finally, most of the decline in the early 1990s was the result of a decrease in second or higher order births to women who were already teen mothers. It was not until the second half of the decade that a significant drop in first births to teens fellow - economic studies, center on children and birthrates had also declined in the 1970s and early 1980s but in this earlier period all of the decline was due to increased abortion. Up until the 1990s, despite some progress in convincing teens to use contraception, teen pregnancy rates continued to rise because an increasing number of teens were becoming sexually active at an early age, thereby putting themselves at risk of pregnancy. More specifically, if teen birthrates had held at the levels reached in the early 1990s, by 1999 this proportion would have been more than a full percentage point higher. Thus, a focus on teenagers has a major role to play in future reductions of both out-of-wedlock childbearing and the growth of single-parent caused the decline in teen pregnancies and births? However, many experts believe it was some combination of greater public and private efforts to prevent teen pregnancy, the new messages about work and child support embedded in welfare reform, more conservative attitudes among the young, fear of aids and other sexually transmitted diseases, the availability of more effective forms of contraception, and perhaps the strong of these factors have undoubtedly interacted, making it difficult to ever sort out their separate effects. For example, fear of aids may have made teenagers-males in particular, for whom pregnancy has traditionally been of less concern-more cautious and willing to listen to new messages. The ku study also linked this shift in adolescent male attitudes to a change in their growth of public and private efforts to combat teen pregnancy may have also played a role, as suggested by surveys conducted by the national governors’ association, the general accounting office, the american public human services association, and most recently and comprehensively, by child trends. The survey shows that states have dramatically increased their efforts to reduce teen pregnancy (figure 3). In addition to being small, such efforts may or may not be effective in preventing pregnancy. Fortunately, we know more about this topic now than we did even a few years teen pregnancy prevention programs work? Based on a careful review of the scholarly literature completed by douglas kirby of etr associates in santa cruz, california, a number of rigorously evaluated programs have been found to reduce pregnancy rates. Abstinence only” programs are relatively new and have not yet been subject to careful evaluation, although what research exists has not been encouraging. By themselves, teen pregnancy prevention programs cannot change prevailing social norms or attitudes that influence teen sexual behavior. The increase in teen pregnancy rates between the early 1970s and 1990 was largely the result of a change in attitudes about the appropriateness of early premarital sex, especially for young women. As more and more teen girls put themselves at risk of an early pregnancy, pregnancy rates rose. Most state efforts rely on psa campaigns but several national organizations are working with the entertainment industry to affect ch assessing the effectiveness of media campaigns is less extensive and less widely known than research evaluating community-based programs, but it shows that they, too, can be effective. But existing evidence suggests that they are a good way to reach large numbers of teens efforts to reduce teen pregnancy cost-effective? First appearance, the finding by rebecca maynard that each teen mother costs the government an average of $3,200 per year suggests that government could spend as much as $3,200 per teen girl on teen pregnancy prevention and break even in the process. But, of course, not all girls become teen mothers and programs addressing this problem are not 100 percent effective so a lot of this money would be wasted on girls who do not need services and on programs that are less than fully is a simple but useful method to estimate how much money could be spent on teen pregnancy prevention programs and still realize benefits that exceed costs. If we accept maynard’s estimate that reducing teen pregnancy saves $3,200 per birth prevented (in 2001 dollars), the question is how much should we spend to prevent such births? Based on data reviewed by douglas kirby and by leslie snyder, a good estimate is that about one out of every ten girls enrolled in a program or reached by a media campaign might change her behavior in a way that delayed pregnancy beyond her teen years. As the wertheimer survey showed, actual spending on teen pregnancy prevention programs in the entire nation now averages about $8 per teenage girl. If the potential savings are $64 per teenage female while actual current spending is only $8 per teenage female, government is clearly missing an opportunity for productive investments in prevention programs. In fact, these calculations-while rough-suggest that government could spend up to eight times ($64 divided by $8) as much as is currently being spent and still break ations for welfare reform reauthorization research and experience over the last decade suggest several lessons for the administration and congress as they consider reauthorization of the 1996 welfare reform , the emphasis in the current law on time limits, work, and child support enforcement should be maintained. These messages may be far more important than any specific provisions aimed at increasing marriage or reducing out-of-wedlock childbearing, and their effects are likely to cumulate over , the federal government should fund a national resource center to collect and disseminate information about what works to prevent teen pregnancy. States and communities had no way of learning about each other’s efforts and teens themselves had no ready source of information about the risks of pregnancy and the consequences of early unprotected sex. And since a large proportion of non-marital births occurs in this age group, and a significant number of teens continue to be sexually active, education about and access to reproductive health services remains important through title x of the public health service act, the medicaid program, and other federal and state , adequate resources should be provided to states to prevent teen pregnancy, without specifying the means for achieving this goal. In addition, states that work successfully to reduce teen pregnancy should be rewarded for their efforts. This does not mean the federal government should not reward states that achieve certain objectives, such as an increase in the proportion of children living in two-parent families, a decline in the non-marital birth ratio, or a decline in the teen pregnancy or birth rate. Reducing early childbearing may be one of the most effective ways of increasing the proportion of children born to, and raised by, a married couple. The evidence presented above suggests that states should be spending roughly eight times as much as they are now on teen pregnancy , the federal government should fund a national media campaign.
Too many public officials and community leaders have assumed that if they could just find the right program, teen pregnancy rates would be reduced. Although there are now a number of programs that have proved effective, the burden of reducing teen pregnancy should not rest on programs alone. Rather, we should build on the fledgling efforts undertaken at the state and national level over the past five years to fund a broad-based, sophisticated media campaign to reduce teen pregnancy. Although commonplace as recently as the 1950s, early marriage is no longer a sensible strategy in a society where decent jobs increasingly require a high level of education and where half of teen marriages end in divorce.