The Missing Ingredient in Abstinence Education Programs

1
The Missing Ingredient in Abstinence Education
Programs

• Andrea Kane
• OAPP Prevention Grantees Conference
• September 26, 2006

2
Overview of Remarks

• About the National Campaign
• Key Data
• Key Themes
• Implications for Programs and Practice

3
The National Campaign to Prevent Pregnancy

• About the National Campaign

4
About The Campaign

• The Campaigns mission is to improve the
  well-being of children, youth, and families by
  preventing teen pregnancy.
• Our goal is to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy
  in the United States by one-third between 2006
  and 2015.
• 2 in 10 by 2015!

5
Our Strategy
Research

Influence cultural values and messages
Unusual Partners
NCPTP
Teen Voices
Strengthen state local programs
Tolerance Bipartisanship
6
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

• Key Data

7
Some Good News

• Teen pregnancy, teen birth, and abortion rates
  are all down.
• Progress in all states and among all
  ethnic/racial groups.
• Percentage of teens who ever had sex declined
  from 54 to 47 (1991 2005).
• Teens who are sexually active are making better
  choices.
• Dramatic progress for African American teens.

8
More Work to Do

• One in three teens becomes pregnant by age 20.
• One-quarter of teen parents have a second child
  before they turn 20.
• Higher teen pregnancy and birth rates than
  comparable countries.
• Recent data show declines in teen birth rates are
  slowing.

9
Connection between teen pregnancy, relationships
marriage

• Half of all first out-of-wedlock births are to
  teens four-fifths of teen births are out of
  wedlock.
• Teen mothers less likely to get married and stay
  married than those delay childbearing.
• Teen marriage is not the answer Teens who marry
  are two to three times more likely to divorce
  than people who marry in their twenties.

10
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

• Key Themes

11
Why focus on teen relationships?

• Teen years are where habits of the heart are
  formed.
• Most teens want healthy relationships now and
  good marriages later.
• The sexual and relationship choices they make in
  teen years have lasting consequences for them and
  their children.

12
Teens Have High Aspirations for Relationships and
Marriage

• The vast majority of high school seniors believe
  that marriage is extremely important and that
  they will marry in the future.
• 85 of teens believe sex should only occur in a
  long-term, committed relationship.

13
Gap between Aspirations
and Knowledge

• Two-thirds of teens think it is okay to have sex
  with someone they have strong affection for and
  to live with someone outside of marriage.
• Nearly 60 of girls aged 15-17 and 73 of those
  aged 18-19 approve of unwed childbearing.

14
Gap between Aspirations
and Behavior

• Marriage and birth patterns among teens have
  changed over time.
• Remember First comes love, then comes marriage,
  then comes John and Jackie with the baby
  carriage?
• Teens have shifted from general trend of
• marrying before pregnancy
• to marrying as a result of pregnancy
• to becoming pregnant and not marrying.

15
Current Actions have Lasting Consequences

• A powerful success sequence A child is nine
  times more likely to be poor if born to a mother
  who is
• A teen,
• Has not finished high school, and
• Is not married
• than if born to an adult who has finished school
  and is married.

16
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

• Implications for Programs and Practice

17
Getting Real about the Lives of Teens

• Some teens lack positive experiences with and
  role models for healthy relationships and
  marriage.
• What are you telling them to wait for?
• I see no future for myselfso I have to get what
  I can now.
• Source This is My Reality The Price of Sex
  (National Campaign and MEE Productions)
• Teens want and need help with relationships
• Healthy romantic relationships, even if not
  sexual.
• Healthy relationships, even if not romantic.

18
Getting Real about the Lives of Teens

• Issues for older teens may be different than for
  younger teens.
• Be sensitive to cultural differences.
• Pay more attention to boys/young men.

19
What Can You Do?

• Help teens get the facts and understand why
  healthy relationships and marriage matter in
  terms that are meaningful to them (media as
  conversation starter).
• Help teens think about the consequences of their
  current decisions on their own futures
  (education, career, family, fun).

20
What Can You Do?

• Teach teens about the healthy development of
  children, and the consequences of their
  relationship decisions on children.
• Looking through the eyes of the child can be a
  powerful motivator
• What do they want for their children?
• Tap their desire to do better than their parents.

21
Emphasize Relationships, Not Just Biology

• Teens are instructed on how to reduce the risk of
  pregnancy and STDsbut get less guidance about
  how to successfully navigate teen and young adult
  relationships.
• Appeal to teens aspirations rather than continue
  to only help them manage risks.
• Focus on larger meaning of sex not just a
  transaction.

22
What Else to Do?

• Engage parents mothers and fathers -- as first
  teachers.
• Explore dual track relationship programming for
  parents and teens - opportunities through
  relationship and marriage education/skills
  programs.
• Incorporate relationship education and skills
  into your programs.

23
What Else to Do?

• Reach out to healthy marriage programs/coalitions
  to ensure they are focusing on youth
  relationships and reaching out to those working
  with teens.
• Build awareness of the success sequence in
  communities that you work with.
• Framing matters help teens develop healthy
  relationships now and lay foundation for healthy
  marriage later.

24
Related Resources

• Science Says 16 Teens Attitudes Toward
  Marriage, Cohabitation, and Divorce, 2002 (July
  2005) 
• Science Says 15  Teens Attitudes Toward
  Nonmarital Childbearing, 2002 (May 2005)
• Science Says 11 The Relationship between
  Teenage Motherhood and Marriage (September 2004)
  
• With One Voice 2004 America's Adults and Teens
  Sound Off About Teen Pregnancy
• Parent Power What Parents Need to Know and Do to
  Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy

25
Thank you!

• For more information
• Andrea Kane
• Senior Director, Policy and Partnerships
• 202-478-8554
• akane_at_teenpregnancy.org
• Visit our website www.teenpregnancy.org
• Sign up for e-gram updates!