Teenage Pregnancy In The United States
REDUCING TEENAGE PREGNANCY
Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the
United States is at its lowest level in nearly 40 years, it remains the highest among the most developed countries in the world. Approximately 67.8 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 — nearly 750,000 American teenagers — become pregnant each year (Kost and
Henshaw, 2012). The majority of these pregnancies
— 82 percent — are unintended (Finer & Zolna, 2011).
Moreover, because the average age of menarche has reached an all-time low of about 12 or 13 years old (Potts, 1990), and because six out of 10 young women have sex as teenagers (Martinez et al., 2011), most teenage girls are at risk of becoming pregnant.
The consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are serious …show more content…
Teens who have sex education are half as likely to experience a pregnancy as those who attend abstinence-only programs (Kohler, et al, 2008). A 2007 review of sex education curricula found that the most effective comprehensive programs lowered risky sexual behavior by about one-third (Kirby, 2007).
Increased Use of Contraception Accounts for 86 Percent of the Recent Decline in
Teenage Pregnancy
The rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has declined to its lowest level in decades. Between
1990 and 2008 it decreased from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 to 67.8 per 1,000, a drop of 42 percent (Kost and Henshaw, 2012).
An analysis of data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), the major source of government data on population and reproductive health, found that 86 percent of the decline in teen pregnancy rates through 2002 occurred because
Another source of teen information about sex is the media:
• In the U.S., one in three television programs contains a scene devoting primary emphasis to
Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the
United States is at its lowest level in nearly 40 years, it remains the highest among the most developed countries in the world. Approximately 67.8 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 — nearly 750,000 American teenagers — become pregnant each year (Kost and
Henshaw, 2012). The majority of these pregnancies
— 82 percent — are unintended (Finer & Zolna, 2011).
Moreover, because the average age of menarche has reached an all-time low of about 12 or 13 years old (Potts, 1990), and because six out of 10 young women have sex as teenagers (Martinez et al., 2011), most teenage girls are at risk of becoming pregnant.
The consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are serious …show more content…
Teens who have sex education are half as likely to experience a pregnancy as those who attend abstinence-only programs (Kohler, et al, 2008). A 2007 review of sex education curricula found that the most effective comprehensive programs lowered risky sexual behavior by about one-third (Kirby, 2007).
Increased Use of Contraception Accounts for 86 Percent of the Recent Decline in
Teenage Pregnancy
The rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has declined to its lowest level in decades. Between
1990 and 2008 it decreased from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 to 67.8 per 1,000, a drop of 42 percent (Kost and Henshaw, 2012).
An analysis of data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), the major source of government data on population and reproductive health, found that 86 percent of the decline in teen pregnancy rates through 2002 occurred because
Another source of teen information about sex is the media:
• In the U.S., one in three television programs contains a scene devoting primary emphasis to