Tools
About Birth Control: What You Need to Know
Web site
A list of articles that identify and discuss specific birth control methods. Provides information on the effectiveness of the various methods.
About.com: Teen Pregnancy, Marriage & Parenthood
Web site
A website specifically targeted to teens on pregnancy and parenthood. Provides teen advice, FAQs on sex and pregnancy, a crisis pregnancy helpline, firsthand experiences of other teens, information on teen parenting, statistics and data on teen pregnancy, and more.
Advocates for Youth
Web site
Dedicated to creating programs and advocating for policies that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Provides information, training, and strategic assistance to youth-serving organizations, policy makers, youth activists, and the media in the United States and the developing world.
America's Pregnancy Helpline
Web site
A national health organization committed to ongoing reproductive research and education, promoting community awareness and providing fact-based information for women and families with pregnancy related needs. Their goal is to empower women and families, within their own communities, through education and counseling, by offering healthy reproductive options and promoting and supporting healthy pregnancies with positive outcomes.
Campaign For Our Children, Inc.
Web site
Addresses the high teen birth rate through a comprehensive, hands-on program to educate children, parents and the general public.
Girlshealth.gov
Web site
Provides girls between the ages of 10 and 16 reliable, useful information on the health issues they will face as they become young women, and tips on handling relationships with family and friends, at school and at home.
Latino Initiative
Web site
An information portal focused specifically on helping the Latino community in its efforts to reduce continued high rates of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing.
MedlinePlus: Teenage Pregnancy
Web site
An extensive list of resources on teen pregnancy.
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Web site
Provides online access to a wide range of resources including current research reports, fact sheets, state by state statistics, and curricula on teen pregnancy that was developed and produced by the organization.
National Hispanic Prenatal Helpline (NHPH)
Web site
Refers Hispanic consumers to a culturally and linguistically proficient prenatal care provider in their community.
Preconception Care
Web site
Provides information about health promotion, screening and interventions for women of reproductive age to reduce risk factors that might affect future pregnancies.
Quick Reference Fact Sheet: Teen Pregnancy
Web site
A quick medical reference on teen pregnancy for professionals and researchers.
Sex Education Resource Center
Web site
Provides educators with lesson plans, curricula, national standards, and state legislation on sex education.
Stay Teen.org
Web site
Dedicated to educating teens about sex, love, and relationships.
Teen Talk
Web site
Facts for teens about pregnancy, how pregnancy happens, and information about pregnancy testing.
Vaccines.gov
Web site
Helps parents and other consumers learn about the most effective way to protect themselves and their children from infectious diseases and learn about immunization.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
10 Tips for Parents to Help their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A research-based list of practical tips for parents and adults to help the young people in their lives avoid pregnancy and pass safely through adolescence.
Date: 2007
American Indian/Alaska Native Youth and Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A research brief that focuses on teen childbearing among Native American youth in the United States and includes information about sexual and contraceptive behavior, attitudes about sex and reproductive health, and information about potential programs for this population.
Date: 08 / 2009
American Opinion on Teen Pregnancy and Related Issues 2007
Summarizes the key findings from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy publication, With One Voice 2007: America’s Adults and Teens Sound Off About Teen Pregnancy.
Date: 05 / 2007
Aunt Sarah's List: Things We All Need to Say to Teens and Young Adults
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A list of nine points for teens and young adults to consider regarding pregnancy, having babies, and starting families.
Date: 2009
Births: Final Data for 2007
Author(s): Joyce A. Martin, Brady E. Hamilton, Paul D. Sutton, Stephanie J. Ventura, Fay Menacker, Sharon Kirmeyer
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
Presents 2006 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, and educational attainment; maternal lifestyle and health characteristics; medical care utilization by pregnant women; and infant characteristics.
Date: 08 / 2010
Births: Preliminary Data for 2008
Author(s): Brady E. Hamilton, Joyce A. Martin, Stephanie J. Ventura
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presents preliminary data for 2008 on births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight are also presented.
Date: 04 / 2010
Bridging Two Worlds: How Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs Can Better Serve Latino Youth
Author(s): Erika Johanna Vexler, Katherine Suellentrop
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Summarizes research and presents guidance on effective programs for Latino youth, and provides advice from those working with Latino teens, as well as the advice of Latino teens themselves.
Date: 01 / 2006
By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing
Author(s): Saul D. Hoffman
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A comprehensive national estimate of the public costs of teen childbearing in 10 years. The report also provides a state-by-state analysis of the costs of teen childbearing.
Date: 10 / 2006
Childbirth-Related Hospitalizations among Adolescent Girls, 2004
Author(s): Amanda Mummert, Mika Nagamine, Megan Myers
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project on the general characteristics of childbirth-related hospitalizations among adolescent girls in 2004. Describes the patterns of hospitalization, including delivery method and mean length of stay, for adolescent girls less than 18 years of age compared with women 18 years and older. Regional and payer differences are also examined.
Date: 05 / 2007
Copy That: Guidelines for Replicating Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Author(s): Geri Summerville
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides general guidelines for practitioners who are considering adopting a program for replication or thinking about preparing their own program for replication.
Date: 01 / 2006
DCR Report (Data/Charts/Research Report)
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides in depth answers to some critical questions about unplanned pregnancy for all women.
Date: 2008
Efforts to Assess the Accuracy and Effectiveness of Federally Funded Abstinence-Until-Marriage Education Programs
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
Reports on efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services and the states to assess the scientific accuracy of materials used in federally funded abstinence-until-marriage education programs and the effectiveness of these programs.
Date: 09 / 2006
Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Author(s): Douglas Kirby
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides accurate, research-based information on what works to prevent teen pregnancy.
Date: 11 / 2007
EMS Sex Ed Program Reduces Rural Pregnancy Rate
Author(s): Barbara S. Greenstreet
Describes an initiative in rural Tennessee where the emergency medical service provides sex education to area high school students.
Journal citation: Best Practices in Emergency Services Volume 7 Issue 12
Date: 12 / 2004
Evaluation Findings from The California Wellness Foundation’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI)
Sponsoring organization: California Wellness Foundation
Highlights the findings from the evaluation of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) during the period 1995 through 2006.
Date: 06 / 2007
Facts At A Glance: A Fact Sheet Reporting National, State-level, and City-level Trends in Teen Childbearing (2009)
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
Reports national, state-level, and city-level trends in teen childbearing.
Date: 09 / 2009
Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health
Sponsoring organization: Alan Guttmacher Institute
Provides statistics on teenagers sexual activity, their access to contraceptives, teen pregnancy outcomes, and abortion.
Date: 09 / 2006
Kiss and Tell: What Teens Say about Love, Trust, and Other Relationship Stuff
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A compilation of findings taken from a national survey of young people with key themes and quotes that emerged from a survey conducted on the National Campaign website.
Date: 2007
Making a Love Connection: Teen Relationships, Pregnancy, and Marriage
Author(s): Barbara D. Whitehead, Marline Pearson
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Outlines key steps in preventing teen pregnancy by: teaching teens about healthy relationships and healthy marriage; teaching teens about a "success sequence" that will best promote the achievement of their dreams and desires for their future family and work lives; providing a knowledge base, practical skills and social support to help teens successfully navigate the now prolonged transition from adolescence into adulthood; and engaging parents as first teachers.
Date: 2006
No Time to Waste: Programs To Reduce Teen Pregnancy Among Middle School-Aged Youth
Author(s): Jennifer Manlove, Krystal McKinney, Angela Romano Papillo, Elizabeth Terry-Humen
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides detailed descriptions of programs for middle school-aged youth that have been shown through research to have a positive impact on adolescent sexual behavior. Provides results from program evaluations as well as descriptions about the curriculum that includes the costs and availability of the programs.
Date: 02 / 2004
One in Three: The Case for Wanted and Welcomed Pregnancy
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides an update of a new analysis by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and identifies how the National Campaign is expanding its work to include young adults while still maintaining a sharp focus on teens.
Date: 05 / 2007
Playing Catch-Up: How Children Born to Teen Mothers Fare
Author(s): Elizabeth Terry-Humen, Jennifer Manlove, Kristin A. Moore
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Describes how children of teen mothers aged 17 and younger begin kindergarten with lower levels of school readiness than those children born to older mothers. Also notes that children born to mothers aged 18-19 do not perform much better on most measures than children born to mothers 17 and younger.
Date: 01 / 2005
Pregnancy and Childbearing Among U.S. Teens
Author(s): Deborah Weiss
Sponsoring organization: Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Provides statistics and facts on teen pregnancy and childbearing for the nation.
Date: 01 / 2010
Public Costs of Teen Childbearing
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Presents key findings from a detailed report by Saul Hoffman, "By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing." The new analysis updates research from 1996 which compared the costs of childbearing by teen mothers 17 and younger to the costs of childbearing by mothers aged 20-21. Also includes data about the costs of childbearing by mothers aged 18-19 compared to mothers aged 20-21 and state specific data on the public costs of teen childbearing for all 50 states and Washington DC.
Date: 12 / 2006
Repeat Teen Childbearing: Differences Across States and by Race and Ethnicity
Author(s): Erin Schelar, Kerry Franzetta, Jennifer Manlove,
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
Provides information on trends in repeat teen childbearing by state and by racial/ethnic group to help state-level agencies and local programs address the needs of these disadvantaged teens and their children.
Date: 10 / 2007
Scientific Evaluations of Approaches to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Author(s): Carmen Solomon-Fears
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
Reports on the Mathematica Policy, Inc. evaluation of abstinence-only education programs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Title V Abstinence Education block grant.
Date: 05 / 2007
Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviors Among Teen and Young Adult Men: A Descriptive Portrait
Author(s): Jennifer Manlove, Elizabeth Terry-Humen, Erum Ikramullah, Emily Holcombe
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
Presents a descriptive portrait of reproductive health behavior among U.S. teen and young adult men by age and by race/ethnicity.
Date: 10 / 2008
Sexual Health Statistics for Teenagers and Young Adults in the United States
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Covers a broad range of sexual health topics facing teens including general sexual activity; sexual partners and relationships; sex, substance abuse and violence; pregnancy; contraception and protection; STDs; access to health care services; and communication.
Date: 09 / 2006
Sexual Risk and Protective Factors: Factors Affecting Teen Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, Childbearing And Sexually Transmitted Disease, Executive Summary
Author(s): Douglas Kirby, Gina Lepore, Jennifer Ryan
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Identifies and discusses factors affecting teen sexual behavior, pregnancy, childbearing and sexually transmitted disease.
Date: 09 / 2005
State Disparities in Teenage Birth Rates in the United States
Author(s): T.J. Mathews, Paul D. Sutton, Brady E. Hamilton, Stephanie J. Ventura
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Report examines disparities in teenage birth rates by state and among the largest racial and ethnic population groups.
Date: 10 / 2010
Teen Births: Examining the Recent Increase
Author(s): Kristin Anderson Moore
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Reports on the 2005 through 2006 rise in teen birth rates, the first increase in 15 years, and discusses prevention efforts.
Date: 10 / 2008
Teen Births: Examining the Recent Increase
Author(s): Kristin Anderson Moore
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
Explores whether the data showing an increase in teens giving birth between 2005 and 2006 reflects a short-term blip or a true reversal in the decline in the U.S.
teen birth rate.
Date: 03 / 2009
Teen Contraceptive Use
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Presents information on contraceptive use among sexually experienced teens.
Date: 09 / 2006
Teen Pregnancy - So What?
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Provides facts and statistics describing the effects of teen pregnancy on the mothers and their children.
Date: 10 / 2006
Teen Sexual Activity, Pregnancy, and Childbearing Among Native Americans
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Highlights specific national statistics on Native American teen birth rate, sexual activity and contraceptive use.
Date: 12 / 2007
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2008
Author(s): J.C. Abma, G.M. Martinez, C.E. Copen
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presents national estimates of sexual activity, contraceptive use, and births among males and females 15-19 years of age in the United States in 2006-2008 from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).
Date: 06 / 2010
Terms of Engagement: How to Involve Parents in Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Author(s): Karen Troccoli
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Summarizes the informative discussions from conferences held by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy with teen pregnancy prevention leaders and experts, and provides additional information about parental influence.
These roundtables as well as provide some additional
information on what social science tells us about parental influence.
Date: 12 / 2006
U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity
Sponsoring organization: Alan Guttmacher Institute
Provides national teenage pregnancy data for the years 1972 - 2006. Includes pregnancy, birth and abortion rates and abortion ratio by race and ethnicity.
Date: 01 / 2010
Unlocking the Contraception Conundrum: Reducing Unplanned Pregnancies in Emerging Adulthood
Author(s): James Jaccard
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Summarizes current knowledge and recommends tasks that organizations concerned with reducing unplanned pregnancy can pursue to improve contraceptive behavior among young adults.
Date: 2009
What Works: Curriculum-Based Programs That Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
An overview of what is known about carefully evaluated interventions that help prevent teen pregnancy.
Date: 2009
With One Voice 2007: America's Adults and Teens Sound Off About Teen Pregnancy
Author(s): Bill Albert
Sponsoring organization: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
A nationally-representative survey of adults and teens offering insights about teen sex and pregnancy, factors that might influence teens, decisions about sex, and advice to parents, program leaders, and policymakers.
Date: 02 / 2007
Organizations
Advocates for Youth
National organization
Champions efforts to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Includes a section for professionals listing resources and programs that work.
Birthright International
International organization
Helps any girl or woman regardless of age, race, creed, and marital or economic status, who feels distressed by an unplanned pregnancy.
Healthy Teen Network (HTN)
National organization
A national professional membership organization founded on the belief that youth can make responsible decisions about their sexuality and reproductive health when they have complete, accurate and culturally relevant information, skills, resources and support.
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
National organization
Works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies' lives.
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
National organization
Seeks to improve the well-being of children, youth, families, and the nation by preventing unplanned and teen pregnancy.
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH)
National organization
Works to ensure the fundamental human right to reproductive health for Latinas, their families and their communities through education, advocacy and coalition building.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)
National organization
A reproductive and sexual health care advocate and provider that includes birth control, family planning, gynecological care, STI/STD testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, and abortion services.
Terms & Acronyms
Abstinence The choice to not have sexual intercourse thereby preventing pregnancy.
Birth Control Voluntary limitation or control of the number of children conceived, especially by planned use of contraceptive techniques.
Birth Rate A value calculated by dividing the number of live births in a population in a year by the midyear resident population. Birth rates are expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 population. The rate may be restricted to births to women of specific age, race, marital status, or geographic location, or it may be related to the entire population.
Contraceptive A device, drug, or chemical agent that prevents conception. Types of contraception include: the cervical cap, condom (male and female), diaphragm, implants, injection, Intrauterine System (IUS), Intrauterine Device (IUD), natural family planning (rhythm method), oral contraceptives, spermicides, and sterilization.
Live Birth The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as heartbeat, umbilical cord pulsation, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.
Preconception health Woman’s health before she becomes pregnant that focuses on the conditions and risk factors such as prescription drugs and drinking of alcohol that could affect a woman if she becomes pregnant and the developing fetus or baby. Applies to women who have never been pregnant, and to women who could become pregnant again.
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) An infection from a group of diseases communicable by sexual relations, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, genital warts, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, HIV, hepatitis B, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Teen Pregnancy Technically defined as pregnancy occurring in young women between the ages of 13 and 19.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention A program that works to reduce pregnancies among teens. There are several different kinds of prevention programs including abstinence, knowledge-based, clinic-focused, and peer counseling.
