Between 1991 and 2006, adolescent birth rates steadily declined in the United States. However in 2006, the steady decline reversed itself, moving upward among teenage women ages 15 to 19 (with the exception of Latinas).1 About one fifth of infants born to adolescent mothers is a second or third child.1 Moreover, U.S. adolescent pregnancy and birth rates remain among the highest in the western world. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews of existing research to compile a list of programs proven effective in preventing or reducing the incidence of second and higher order pregnancies or births* among adolescent mothers.
Criteria for Inclusion—All programs highlighted here had evaluations that:
- Were published in peer-reviewed journals (a proxy for the quality of evaluation design and analysis).
- Used an experimental or quasi-experimental design, with treatment and control / comparison conditions.
- Included at least 100 young women in treatment and control / comparison groups, combined.
- Collected baseline and post-intervention data from both treatment and control / comparison groups.
Further, the evaluations either:
- Continued to collect data regarding both groups at 18 months or later after the intervention, or
- Showed program effectiveness in reducing repeat pregnancies and/or births among intervention females, relative to controls.
Program Content— Each of the programs that met the criteria above provides specialized services that encourage the adolescent mother to: 1) use contraception correctly and consistently in order to prevent rapid, repeat pregnancy; 2) envision a brighter future for herself and her child; and 3) complete her education and/or learn useful job skills.
Reduction in Teen Pregnancy or Births—All the programs highlighted here showed statistically significant declines in repeat teen pregnancy and/or births among participants relative to comparison / control mothers.
Other Positive Outcomes—Although every program did not measure all of the sameoutcomes, several measured these significant outcomes among participants relative to comparison / control mothers:
- Two showed significant improvements in adolescent mothers’ use of contraception.
- One showed a significant improvement in maternal health or reduction in maternal morbidity among the adolescent mothers.
- Two showed significant improvements in health outcomes and/or reductions in abuse and neglect among the infants and children of these young mothers.
- Two showed significant improvements in the number of adolescent mothers who completed their high school education or earned a general equivalency diploma (GED).
- Three showed significant improvements in employment outcomes and/or reductions in reliance on public assistance among young mothers.
Table A. Effective Programs and Their Impact on Adolescents and Their Children * Some of the studies highlighted here assessed the incidence of subsequent pregnancies while others assessed the incidence of additional births.
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