European Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Behavior & Responsibility
 Teen birth, teen abortion, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates in the United States are higher than in most other industrialized countries. In 1999, 48 out of 1,000 U.S. women ages 15-19 gave birth—a rate 11 times greater than in the Netherlands and four times higher than in Germany. The teen abortion rate in the U.S. is more than three times that of France and nearly seven times that of the Netherlands.
Many factors influence the differences in teen sexual health between the U.S. and these industrialized nations: affordable family planning services; sustained, realistic media campaigns; public health policy grounded in pragmatism and research; and sexuality information characterized by open, honest dialogue. Philosophically, many European countries accept that adolescents, especially older ones, are going to be sexually active. Therefore, policies and programs focus on protective behaviors and skills. In the United States, policies, programs, and national initiatives focus on delaying sexual initiation as long as possible.
Yet, U.S. teens experience first sexual intercourse at about the same time and have more partners than teens in many other developed countries.
Nation |
Teen Pregnancy Rates
(per 1,000 women ages 15-19) |
Teen Birth Rates
(per 1,000 women ages 15-19) |
Teen Abortion Rates
(per 1,000 women ages 15-19) |
United States |
72.2 |
41.1 |
15.0 |
Netherlands |
12.8 |
4.6 |
7.0 |
Germany |
16.3 |
9 |
14.2 |
France |
22.6 |
9.0 |
7.8 |
Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sponsored the seventh European study tour in 2006. The organizations selected 30 participants to explore and identify strategies, programs, and policies in the Netherlands, France, and Germany that have influenced adolescent sexual behavior and outcomes.
Advocates for Youth regretfully announces that the 2008 European Study Tour has been cancelled. The falling value of the US dollar, the rising fuel costs for plane and bus fares, and hotel increases have made the trip increase in cost by almost 40 percent. We hope that if economic conditions change that we will be able to offer the study tour again.
See the reach of Advocates for Youth European Study Tour
For additional program
information, call Barbara Huberman, Director of Education & Outreach, Advocates
for Youth, at 202.419.3420.
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