Efficient Programs on How to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a very alarming problem, especially in the United States. According to the recent statistics, the country has the highest rate of teen pregnancy among all the industrialized nations. In fact, there are 42.9 births for every one thousand teenage girls within the age 15 to 19 and four out of ten girls get pregnant as soon as they reach the age of 20. In this pregnant population, 80 percent were unintended and 79 percent of the pregnant teenagers are not yet married. Because of this continuously hiking number of pregnant teenagers however, many social groups and government agencies have been prompted to look for various ways on how to reduce teenage pregnancy in the soonest time possible.

Knowing the causes

In order to determine how exactly teenage pregnancy should be dealt with, action groups try to determine its various causes. According to experts, teenage pregnancy is often associated with many risk factors. That is why studies aimed at how to reduce teenage pregnancy look at the scenario as a general social phenomenon that is a product of several circumstances.

Based on earlier studies, a teenager who has been subjected to child abuse is more likely to be pregnant at an early age. Being poor and living with a broken family or in a single-parent setting also prompts an individual to engage in early sex which causes teenage pregnancy. Furthermore, engaging in various risky behaviors such as drug abuse and delinquency in the community can also be predictors of a teenager’s susceptibility to early pregnancy.

Possible solutions

According to experts, there are three general strategies that action groups can use in their quest to significantly reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy all around the country. Foremost of which is to provide campaigns that promote abstinence. However, it should be noted that this approach is not effective especially in industrialized countries where sexually active teenagers are abundant.

In such cases, action groups have prompted to another technique on how to reduce teenage pregnancy. This technique involves the task of providing a very comprehensive sexuality education program for those within the age range of 15 to 19. This program should include lectures and discussions on essential factors to consider in sexual initiation and sexual activities. It should also involve discussions on contraceptive use, as well as lectures on the importance of family planning and the adverse effects of teenage pregnancy – not only to the individuals involved but also to the whole community.

Aside from education however, action groups also make use of youth development programs. This technique on how to reduce teenage pregnancy involves volunteering, mentoring, and job monitoring. Basically, this program aims to divert a teenager’s attention towards productive activities so as to encourage delay in first sex and lower pregnancy rates.