Introduction

This knowledge path directs readers to a selection of current, high-quality resources about adolescent pregnancy prevention that measure, document, and monitor the problem; identify risk and protective factors; and report on promising intervention strategies. It can be used by health and social services professionals, policymakers, and researchers to learn more about the topic, for program development, and to locate training resources and information to answer specific questions. Separate briefs identify resources for families and schools. The path has been compiled by the MCH Library at Georgetown University and will be updated periodically.

Overview

The birth rate for U.S. adolescents ages 15–19 in 2008 was 41.5 per 1,000 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2010), the highest birth rate in the Western industrialized world (World Development Indicators, 2010). Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth have serious consequences for the adolescent mother, the child, and society in general. For example, adolescent mothers are more likely to live in poverty. Infants born to adolescent mothers are more likely to have lower birthweights. And adolescent pregnancy imposes large costs on U.S. taxpayers — billions of dollars annually — in terms of the services and support provided to families that began with a birth to an adolescent. See Why It Matters: Linking Teen Pregnancy Prevention to Other Critical Social Issues, rev. ed. (2010) by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The National Campaign also offers a set of fact sheets about the social issues impacted by adolescent pregnancy. Also see the strategies announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to reduce adolescent and unintended pregnancy.

Resources for Professionals

Websites

• Administration for Children and Families (ACF): Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. Tools and resources to support state, tribal, and community efforts to promote comprehensive sex education, adulthood preparation programs, and abstinence education to prevent adolescent pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
  
  
• Advocates for Youth. Data, reports, lesson plans, information about effective programs, and news and commentary about adolescent sexual and reproductive health for health professionals, educators, and advocates. Topics address abstinence, abortion, contraception, parent-child communication, sexuality education, and adolescent-pregnancy prevention. Also presents contact information for state organizations focused on adolescent pregnancy prevention. Advocates for Youth aims to help adolescents and young adults make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Publications include
  
  Science and Success: Sex Education and Other Programs that Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (2nd ed.). (2008).
  
  Also see the Parents Sex Ed Center, the Sex Education Resource Center, and the Future of Sex Education (FoSE).
  
  
• Campaign for Our Children (CFOC). Tools for public health professionals and local government officials for developing research-based messages and educational media campaigns about adolescent pregnancy prevention and other preventive health issues. Includes video and audio clips and fact sheets. CFOC was established in 1987 to address the high adolescent birth rate in Maryland. CFOC's materials are now used nationally and internationally.
  
  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  Division of Reproductive Health: Adolescent Reproductive Health. Information about funding programs, research, science-based approaches, and state and community success stories for preventing adolescent pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Publications include
  
  
  • Positive Youth Development Promoting Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Review of Observational and Intervention Research. (2010). [Journal supplement in full-text].
    
    
  Guide to Community Preventive Services: Prevention of HIV/AIDS, other STIs and Pregnancy. Recommendations for population-based interventions that focus on abstinence education, comprehensive risk reduction, and adolescent behavior.
  
  National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Briefs and reports with data about adolescent sexual activity, contraception, pregnancy, and birth rates.
  
  
Parents Matter! Research-based information, resources, and tools for health and social service professionals about including parents in sexual risk prevention efforts targeting adolescents.

Also see CDC's Healthy Youth! Sexual Risk Behaviors, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), and the Prevention Research Centers.


• Child Trends: Teen Sex and Pregnancy. Research briefs, fact sheets, and other publications about sexual activity, contraceptive use, and fertility to help program providers and policymakers develop strategies for preventing unintended pregnancies, nonmarital births, and STDs. Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization providing research and data to inform decision-making that affects families. Also see the Child Trends DataBank and the LINKS Database.
  
  
• Guttmacher Institute. Fact sheets, policy briefs, reports, articles, PowerPoint presentations, and news about adolescent sexuality, abortion, contraception, and pregnancy prevention. Some materials are available in Spanish and French. Also presents a state center for research and analysis about sexual and reproductive health laws and policy developments in the states. The Guttmacher Institute focuses on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis, and public education worldwide. Also see the Guttmacher Institute Data Center.
  
  
• Healthy People 2020. Information about this national health-promotion and disease-prevention initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services. View the overview, objectives, and recommended interventions and resources for adolescent health, including adolescent pregnancy prevention.
  
  
• Healthy Teen Network (HTN). Reports, resource guides, fact sheets, webinars, and a conference calendar about adolescent pregnancy prevention, adolescent pregnancy, and adolescent parenting. HTN is a national member-based organization of adolescent reproductive health professionals. Resources include
  
  Evidence-Based Resource Center. Information and tools to help communities implement evidence-based or innovative approaches to reducing adolescent pregnancy.
  
  
• National Adolescent and Young Adult Health Information Center (NAHIC). Fact sheets, policy briefs, reports, and other materials about adolescent health on topics that include positive adolescent development and reproductive health. NAHIC is based at the University of California, San Francisco.
  
  
• National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health. Fact sheets, issue briefs, reports, and journal article citations about health care topics important to adolescents, such as health insurance and access to care; development of adolescent-friendly, interdisciplinary models of care; and assurance of confidential care. The alliance provides education, research, policy analysis, and technical assistance to support improvements in the way that adolescent health care is structured and financed.
  
  
• National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. An extensive set of resources about adolescent pregnancy prevention for health and education professionals, policymakers, faith communities, parents, adolescents, and the media. Resources include national data and state data; information about effective programs; reports; fact sheets; PowerPoint presentations; Spanish-language materials; posters; audiovisuals; and news and commentary. Topics include contraception, foster care, male involvement, parental involvement, the influence of media on adolescent sexual health, health reform, racial and ethnic differences, and faith and values. The National Campaign is a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative that aims to improve the well-being of children, adolescents, families, and the nation by preventing unplanned and adolescent pregnancy. A selection of publications and initiatives includes
  
  Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. (2007). [Report].
  
  Federal Funding for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs. Information about federal funding opportunities to support evidence-based adolescent pregnancy prevention programs. Includes background data and facts for proposal writing.
  
  National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. A collection of resources for this annual event, which occurs on the first Wednesday in May.
  
  Putting What Works to Work (PWWTW). Reports, research briefs, case studies, and presentations about this project to translate research on adolescent pregnancy prevention practices into user-friendly materials for professionals, policymakers, and advocates to incorporate into their work.
  
  What Works 2011-2012: Curriculum-Based Programs That Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (2012). [Research brief].
  
  
• Office of Adolescent Health (OAH): Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Information about a federal initiative to support evidence-based adolescent pregnancy prevention approaches. Includes grant announcements, application forms, and technical assistance information. Also includes information about the systematic review of the evidence base for programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy and information about interventions meeting the review's criteria for programs with evidence of effectiveness. OAH is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
  
  
• Office of Population Affairs (OPA). Information about family planning and adolescent family life grant programs. Includes program reports, data, evaluation instruments, lists of grantees, a reproductive health clinic directory, and a publications list. OPA is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
  
  
• Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families, and Communities. Information about programs and practices that research indicates are effective in improving outcomes for children, adolescents, and families, including programs that increase the percentage of adolescents who abstain from sexual activity or do not engage in risky sexual behavior. Also contains resources for strengthening service delivery. PPN is operated by the RAND Corporation.
  
  
• Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP). Tools and information for teachers and health educators on reducing sexual risk-taking behaviors among adolescents. Includes information about programs that have shown evidence of changing sexual risk-taking behavior; strategies for educators and adolescents for effective prevention; learning activities that teachers and health educators can use with adolescents; rationales behind the development of adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies, activities, and programs; statistics; abstracts of current research; and access to ReCAPP's library. ReCAPP was created by ETR, a private, nonprofit health-education-promotion organization.
  
  
• Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). Resources about human sexuality and adolescent development that include program information; policy, advocacy, and research updates; and advocacy and education tools. SIECUS is a national, nonprofit organization that provides education and information about sexuality and sexual and reproductive health.
  
  Also see SIECUS' Talk About Sex, SexEdLibrary, and Future of Sex Education (FoSE).
  
  
• Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). Position papers on topics that include abstinence-only education policies and programs, confidential health care for adolescents, emergency contraception, media and contraception, and reproductive health care for adolescents. Also offers an online directory of adolescent health professionals.
  
  
• Sociometrics Corporation. Adolescent-pregnancy data, information about effective prevention programs, and evaluation resources for program administrators from health clinics, schools, and community-based organizations. Resources include the Data Archive on Adolescent Pregnancy and Pregnancy Prevention (DAAPPP) and journal articles about its development and use. Also includes the Program Archive on Sexuality, Health, and Adolescence (PASHA), a collection of effective adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STD), and HIV/AIDS prevention programs selected for public dissemination by a national panel of experts. Replication kits for each of these programs are available. Publications and online professional training in program modeling and evaluation are also presented. Sociometrics is a research and development firm specializing in social science research applications.
  

Additional Electronic Resources

• Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPCNC). 2009. BrdsNBz Text Message Warm Line. Durham, NC: Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPCNC). [Information page].
  
  
• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). 2010. Adolescent Health and Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). [Newsletter issue].
  
  
• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). 2010. Making the Case: A Comprehensive Systems Approach for Adolescent Health and Well-Being. Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). [White paper].
  
  
• Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Center on Social Disparities in Health. 2008. A Question of Hope: Reducing Latina Teen Childbearing in California. Berkeley, California: Ideas in Motion. [Video clip]. Also available in Spanish.
  
  
• Butler AS, Clayton EW, eds. 2009. A Review of the HHS Family Planning Program: Mission, Management, and Measurement of Results. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [Report].
  
  
• Evans D. 2009. Recommended Adolescent Health Care Utilization: How Social Marketing Can Help. Washington, DC: National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation. [Issue brief].
  
  
• Futures Without Violence. 2010. Facts on Adolescent Pregnancy, Reproductive Risk and Exposure to Dating and Family Violence. San Francisco, CA: Futures Without Violence. [Fact sheet].
  
  
• Lawrence RS, Gootman JA, Sim LJ, eds. 2008. Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [Report].
  
  
• Monasterio E, Combs N, Warner L, Larsen-Fleming M, St. Andrews A. 2010. Sexual Health: An Adolescent Provider Toolkit. San Francisco, CA: Adolescent Health Working Group, San Francisco. [Toolkit].
  
  
• National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (NCFY). 2010. Bright Idea: Texting for Teen Health. Silver Spring, MD: National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (NCFY). This article describes lessons learned from a North Carolina adolescent pregnancy prevention campaign that invites adolescents to ask questions about sexual health via anonymous text messages.
  
  
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). 2009. Building on Success: Teen Pregnancy Prevention in California. Denver, CO: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). [Meeting materials].
  
  
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). 2009. Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Making a Difference for At-Risk Populations. Denver, CO: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). [Issue brief].
  
  
• Schwarz SW. 2010. Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health: Facts for Policymakers. New York, NY: National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). [Fact sheet].
  
  
• Trenholm C, Devaney B, Fortson K, Quay L, Wheeler J, Clark M. 2007. Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs: Final Report. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. [Report].
  

Databases

See the following set of MCH Library resource briefs to identify additional data and statistics, literature and research, and programs about adolescent pregnancy prevention.

• Maternal and Child Health Data and Statistics
• Maternal and Child Health Literature and Research Databases
• Maternal and Child Health Programs Databases
  

News and Commentary

• Advocates for Youth. Several blogs about adolescent reproductive and sexual health policy, culture, current events and research, and parent-child communication. Also offers Daily News, a list of headlines with links to articles about adolescent reproductive and sexual health.
  
  
• Guttmacher Institute E-mail Updates. Three electronic newsletters about sexual and reproductive health news and analysis: (1) Guttmacher Update, (2) State News Quarterly, and (3) News Providers Can Use from the Guttmacher Institute.
  
  
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): Adolescent Health Update. An electronic newsletter about adolescent health resources, conferences, funding opportunities, and news for professionals working in local health departments. Topics include adolescent pregnancy prevention.
  
  
• National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The blog, Pregnant Pause, about adolescent and unplanned pregnancy and Notification Network, an e-mail news service that covers adolescent pregnancy prevention facts, data, research, publications, program information, and media messages.
  

Resources for Families

• See the MCH Library family resource brief Teen Pregnancy Prevention.
  

Resources for Schools

• See the MCH Library school resource brief Sexuality Education.
  

Related MCH Library Resources

• Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families knowledge path
• Health Insurance and Access to Care for Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief
• School-Based and School-Linked Health Care school resource brief
• Sexuality Education resource brief
• Social and Emotional Development in Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
  

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention: Knowledge Path, 6th ed. (September 2010). (Updated: January 2013).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library; Katherine Suellentrop, M.P.H., The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.