1. Analyzing Effects of Sexual Education Methods on Teen Pregnancy Rates
- Author
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Burkholder, Stephanie, Aguon, Elizabeth, Jacobson, Rylee, White, Cara, Burkholder, Stephanie, Aguon, Elizabeth, Jacobson, Rylee, and White, Cara
- Abstract
Teenage pregnancy is correlated with negative health and social outcomes for both mother and baby (CDC, 2019). While teen pregnancy rates are on a steady decline, nearly 250,000 babies were born to U.S. teen mothers in 2014 alone (CDC, 2016). The foremost strategy to prevent teen pregnancies and births is preventative education. In the United States, two broad categories of sexual health education are utilized: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-based sex education. Comprehensive sex education “views sexuality holistically, as a part of young people’s … development” (Guttmacher Institute [G.I.], n.d., p. 1). This model educates, among other topics, on anatomical functions of the reproductive system, contraception, abstinence, options for pregnancy outcomes, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (G.I., n.d.). Abstinence-only programs, on the other hand, spotlight practicing only abstinence until marriage, and often leave out information about contraception, STD prevention, and pregnancy options (G.I., 2018). The purpose of this evidence based review is to analyze the efficacy of abstinence-only education on teenage pregnancy and births compared to comprehensive sexual health education. The outcome of this review may demonstrate effective, evidence-based approaches to pregnancy prevention education in teenagers. In the spirit of patient advocacy, healthcare professionals can utilize this evidence based research to lobby for state programs and private healthcare initiatives to encourage better sexual health outcomes for adolescents.
- Published
- 2021