What impact has England's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy had on young people's knowledge of and access to contraceptive services?

Purpose: To describe young people's knowledge and use of contraceptive services over initial stages of England's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, and to investigate factors associated with use of different services.Methods: A random location sample of young people aged 13-21 years (n = 8879) was interviewed in 12 waves over 2000-2004. Individual data were analysed to investigate factors associated with knowledge and use of contraceptive services and to observe trends over time. Area-level data were analyzed to explore differences in key variables.Results: In all, 77% of young women and 65% of young men surveyed knew a service they could use to obtain information about sex. Amongst those who had had vaginal sexual intercourse, the most common source of contraceptive supplies was general practice for young women (54%) and commercial venues for young men (54%). Young women's use of school-based services to obtain supplies increased significantly from 15.4% in Year I to 24.4% in Year 4, p