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CONTACT:
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Bill
Barker |
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Thursday, May 15, 2003,
12:01 a.m. |
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(202) 419-3420 |
New Report Finds Nineteen Programs
Are Proven to Reduce Risk of Teen Pregnancy, STDs, and
HIV
Eleven
Sex Ed Programs Delay Teen Sex, Yet
Cannot Receive Federal Abstinence Grants
WASHINGTON,
DC—Sixteen sex education
programs and three youth development
initiatives have been proven to reduce teen pregnancies and STDs or cause at
least two beneficial changes in sexual risk behaviors, according
to Science and Success,
a new report released today by Advocates for Youth. The most common behavior
change was a delay in the initiation of sex among teens—an outcome shared
by 11 of the sex education programs and one early childhood education initiative.
Despite their proven effectiveness, none of the sex education programs are
eligible for funding through the federal government's multi-year, multi-million
dollar abstinence initiative because, even though they encourage abstinence,
these programs include information about condoms and contraception.
"Parents and educators deserve to know that there are research-based programs
that have been proven to help teens delay sex—and that the federal government
refuses to fund them," said James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth. "Decades
of public health research show that teaching young people how to wait and how
to protect themselves if they start having sex provides teens the best chance
of success."
The 16 sex education programs in Science
and Success range from school-wide initiatives implemented in junior
and/or senior highs to targeted community-based programs to reach those teens
at the greatest risk for pregnancy and disease. The report also identifies
three youth development programs—two early childhood intervention initiatives
and a service-learning program—that work. Evaluations took place in a number
of large urban centers (including Atlanta, Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia,
New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC) as well as small rural communities in
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Advocates for Youth conducted an exhaustive
review of existing research, identifying
over 150 programs for consideration. Only nineteen of these programs met the
stringent criteria set for inclusion in the report—rigorous scientific evaluation,
publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and a statistically significant impact
on at least two sexual risk behaviors. In addition to the 12 programs that
delayed sexual initiation, many programs also increased use of condoms (11)
and other contraceptives (8), and decreased the frequency of sex and number
of sexual partners (6 each) among sexually active youth. Eight programs led
to reductions in the number of teen pregnancies or cases of STDs.
Six of the programs had been cited
by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) as part of its "Programs that Work" initiative, a project designed to
help educators identify curricula proven to reduce teen sexual risk behaviors.
Although research still supports these approaches, the CDC removed "Programs
that Work" from its Web site last year and took down information about the
role of condoms in protecting against disease—actions that have drawn criticism
from members of Congress and public health groups.
Since 1996, more than $700 million
in federal and state funds have been
directed to programs that teach teens
that abstaining from sex until marriage
is the
expected norm, while censoring information about the health benefits of condoms
and other contraceptive methods. This spring, Congress will vote on whether
to approve more financial support for these "abstinence-only-until-marriage" programs
as part of omnibus welfare reform legislation and the annual appropriations
for the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, a recent vote
on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives has earmarked one-third of
the funding for a new $15 billion global AIDS prevention initiative for programs
that teach only abstinence.
Researchers have not found that teaching
abstinence alone—without also
educating young people about effective use of condoms and contraception—reduces
teen sexual activity or risk behaviors. Public health experts also note that
the decade-long decline
in U.S. teen pregnancy rates largely pre-dates the federal government's
investment in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. In fact, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
and the Alan Guttmacher Institute have all conducted studies showing that the
decline in teen pregnancy resulted from effective contraceptive use and a decrease
in sexual activity—trends that began long before federal abstinence funds
reached the states in 1998.
"Despite recent declines, U.S. teen birth and sexually transmitted disease rates
remain among the highest in the developed world," added Wagoner. "Given the country's
economic climate, we should be investing our scarce resources in successful strategies,
not wasting them on unproven programs driven by ideology."
The full report, Science and
Success: Sex Education and Other Programs That Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections, is available upon request
along with contact information for successful programs.
###
Advocates for Youth is an international,
nonprofit organization that creates programs and advocates for policies
that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their
sexual and reproductive health.
For more information or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts,
please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.
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