Today is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Over the past decade, the pregnancy rate for teens in Georgia has declined an impressive 30 percent. Despite this progress, there is no time for complacency in our state. Over 16,000 teens give birth in Georgia every year. Our state has the 10th highest teen birth rate in the country.
The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, May 2, is an opportunity for Georgians to raise awareness about teen pregnancy prevention among teens, parents and community members. In recognition of the day, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is hosting an online Quiz that challenges teens to think carefully about what they might do in certain tough situations and to focus attention on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood. The Quiz can be accessed online at www.teenpregnancy.org during the entire month of May.
G-CAPP and partners across the state are planning activities throughout the month of May to encourage teens to take the Quiz and to participate in community-led teen pregnancy prevention efforts.
You can help promote the National Day by encouraging teens to take the Quiz and by using the Quiz as a conversation starter with them (see the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s Quiz discussion guide for tips.)
For more information, click here.
Evaluation Results for Abstinence-Only Programs
A study commissioned by Congress to evaluate the effectiveness of federally-funded abstinence-only programs has recently been released. The study followed middle school students in four abstinence-only programs in different parts of the country, as well as students from the same communities who did not participate in the programs. In follow-up surveys four to six years later, students who participated in the abstinence-only programs were no more likely than those who did not to delay sexual initiation, have fewer sexual partners, or abstain (about half of the students in the programs and about half of the control group had remained abstinent.) On the other hand, prior research has shown that curriculum-based programs that discuss both abstinence and contraception have proven effective (see Putting What Works to Work). The study could have implications for the upcoming renewal of the federal block grant program for abstinence-only education.
For more information on the study, visit the Mathematica web site.
Support G-CAPP
The 12th annual G-CAPP fundraiser, featuring the premiere of the movie "Georgia Rule", will take place on Monday, May 7, at the Woodruff Arts Center.
G-CAPP Fast Fact
Approximately 800,000 teens participated in the National Day Quiz in 2006.
Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
