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Despite recent declines in teen pregnancy, U.S. teen birth and sexually transmitted infection (STI) 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 the programs proven effective by rigorous evaluation and identified 24 programs that meet the criteria below.

Criteria for Inclusion—All 24 programs had evaluations that:

• Were published in peer-reviewed journals (a proxy for the quality of evaluation design).
• Used an experimental or quasi-experimental design, with treatment and control/comparison conditions.
• Included at least 100 young people 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 from both groups at three months or later after intervention,
• and
• Demonstrated that the program led to at least two positive behavior changes among program youth, relative to controls:
• Postponement or delay of sexual initiation
• Reduction in the frequency of sexual intercourse
• Reduction in the number of sexual partners / increase in monogamy
• Increase in the use, or consistency of use, of effective methods of contraception and/or condoms
• Reduction in the incidence of unprotected sex.
• Or, showed program effectiveness in reducing pregnancy, STIs, or HIV in intervention youth, relative to controls.
  

Of the 24 science-based programs, seven are either based in a clinical setting or have a strong contraceptive access component.  Descriptions of these programs follow.

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