Decline in the Teenage Pregnancy

Decline in the Teenage Pregnancy Rates

The high rate of teenage pregnancies and births in the United States, and Georgia in particular, has shown some dramatic declines in the past fifteen years. During that period of time, several entities have been hard at work teaching teenagers in Georgia the benefits of abstinence from sexual intercourse before marriage.

The proposed study seeks to confirm whether such sex education is the underlying reason why so many teenagers are now choosing to wait until they are married before experimenting with sex. The decline is healthy in that there are fewer births, fewer abortions, less poverty and child abuse. The link between teenage pregnancies and the above factors have been well-documented and the decline in pregnancies has directly affected those factors as well.

The proposed study will analyze and compare the data generated by the study to ascertain the effectiveness of the various involved entities in influencing teenage behavior and the downward trends regarding their sexual behavior.

INTRODUCTION

Observing the decline in the rate of teenage pregnancies (at least in some demographics) in the state of Georgia over the past decade, one might be led to think that the problem has been addressed and is being handled in an efficient manner. Additional evidence, however, that teenage pregnancy is still a serious problem and that more can be done to further lower the rate is substantiated by the spiraling costs assumed by the state of Georgia as well as the fact that the United States still has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies than any other industrialized nation.

According to the Georgia Department of Human Resources "in the past ten years, the birth rate among girls in Georgia 15-19 years old declined 25%" (Georgia, 2005), which is the good news. The bad news is that in 2004 "80% of teens that gave birth were not married, as compared to 75% in 1994 and 51% during the 1980's" (Georgia, 2005). Non-married teenagers who give birth experience increased incidences of child abuse, neglect and more often cost the government additional dollars in child and health care. Not only are there increased expenses for those teenagers who give birth, but the rate of teenage pregnancies and births in the United States still leads the world.

One recent report presented the finding that, "(despite) a 33% decline in the teen (girls age 15-19) birth rate between 1991 and 2004, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates in the industrialized world" (Hoffman, 2006, p. 1).

An additional report shows that "3 in 10 girls in this country become pregnant by age twenty" (National, 2006, fact sheet), that leads to over 750,000 births each year.

The social costs of these births are both monetary and costly in nature. State funds are used to pay for such services as; prenatal care, delivery, premature births, child abuse, and day, health and foster care. "Medicaid covered the costs of prenatal care and delivery for 84% of teens giving birth in Georgia in 2002" (Georgia, 2005). The expenses are not only monetary in nature but also include the fact that babies born to teenage mothers are more than twice as likely to experience child abuse or neglect. The decline in the rate of teenage pregnancies and births during the period of 1991 to 2004 saved taxpayers direct and indirect costs of supporting those mothers and their offspring. Hoffman's report presented the finding that "due to the dramatic decline in the teen birth rate...taxpayers saved an estimated $6.7 billion in 2004 alone" (Hoffman, 2006).

One method of curbing such expenses as well as the effects of teenage pregnancy is by teaching teenagers the sensibility of abstinence from sexual intercourse and other sexual activities that can lead to intercourse. In 1997 the state of Georgia implemented a teenage pregnancy prevention initiative with the aim of preventing welfare dependency, improving economic opportunities and to promote responsible parenting. The initiative was the impetus behind the creation of the Office of Adolescent Health and Youth Development (AHYD).

According to a fact sheet produced by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, "AHYD offers a comprehensive program addressing a wide range of risk-taking behaviors (including) teen sexual activity before marriage" (Georgia, 2005). The fact sheet states that part of the comprehensive program offered by AHYD includes building on the strength or assets of the individual youth, their families and their individual communities and that the goal espoused by the AHYD is to help adolescents grow up "healthy, educated, connected to their families and communities, and employable" (Georgia, 2005).

This goal is one that serves not only the individuals involved but the government and the community as well. When a young citizen is taught that abstinence is the only sure way of not becoming pregnant, and that individual then goes on to lead a healthy, secure and productive life, then the goal has achieved a certain degree of success. The expense of an out-of-wedlock birth is not borne by the state, and infants born into a stable family environment experience less child abuse and dependency on the government teat.

It is therefore hypothesized that a program that focuses on teenage sexual activity abstinence will be a helpful long-term tool providing community, cost and individual benefits. The proposed study will be to see how effective a non-profit organization can be in continuing the downward trend, especially in light of the current economic woes currently being experienced by the United States.

The AHYD initiative is to reduce teenage pregnancies by 15% (from the 2004 birthrate of 53.3 births for every 1,000 girls) by the year 2010. This study will track the effectiveness of the program from 2004 forward to the year 2010.

The study will also compare teenage pregnancy (and other related) costs as a percentage of overall health care costs by the state of Georgia during that same time period. Further, the study will include costs from the year of creation (1998) as compared to the years from then until the end of the study period. The study will determine whether the downward trend in teenage pregnancies and births can be maintained by continuing the current educational process as it is being presented by the AHYD and other groups such as New Horizons Community Service Board. The proposed study will seek to ascertain whether these community groups and government agencies can work together to present informational programs to at-risk, and other teenagers in order to influence them to abstain from sexual activities until they are married.

The rationale for such a study is to discover whether such educational efforts will directly change teenage sexual behavior patterns while indirectly lowering the percentage of dollars needed to cover the costs resulting from those sexual activities. It is hoped that the study will provide further evidence that behaviors can be changed and that the results from those changes will be positive in nature.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The available literature on teenage pregnancies is not as prevalent as what one might think. A recent search for full text articles on an educational server found 14 available articles relating directly to the search. Keywords used were teenage pregnancies and teenage births. A total of 24 articles were presented for perusal. The scarcity of available articles does not belie the fact that the quality was quite evident and diverse.

Information on the decline of teenage pregnancy, the resulting cost savings, effects of various governmental programs on the teenage birth rate, demographic information and how teenage birth rates and pregnancies are affected by different factors were all available. Also available was the number of pregnancies that were terminated before birth.

Since many of these terminations were by abortion, the literature regarding those circumstances was also prevalent. Since the abortion act seems to have such an overwhelming affect on those who choose that route, it is interesting to discover that the abortion rate has been declining along with the teenage pregnancy rate during the last 10-15 years.

Of the many factors to consider regarding teenage birthrates and pregnancies one that seemed most prevalent is that teaching abstinence concerning sexual activities seemed to have a positive overall affect in lowering the rate of birthrates, child abuse and misuse and the overall expenditures made on behalf of those events by governmental agencies.

One expert wrote "Adolescents who aborted an unwanted pregnancy were more inclined than adolescents who delivered to seek psychological counseling and they reported more frequent problems sleeping and more frequent marijuana use" (Coleman, 2006, p. 904). If that statement is to be believed, then lowering the rate of teenage pregnancies would indirectly have a positive affect on the number of adolescents who need psychological counseling or who would be less inclined to use marijuana as an alleviation for any long-term guilt they may feel towards having an abortion.

The same study showed that, "adolescents who obtain abortions may be more likely to have certain personality traits or they may experience more strained relationships with their parents than adolescents who decide to carry to term" (Coleman, p. 905).

Teaching teenagers about abstinence would likely mean stronger families in the community, which by comparison would also mean that the community was stronger as well.

Additional studies presented data that could also be taken into consideration concerning the causes and the effects of teenage pregnancies, both positive and negative in nature. Many of the studies found that poverty and race both had impacts on the teenage pregnancy and birth rates, and that consideration of such factors might be conducive in attacking the problem. A 2004 study showed that teenage pregnancies were 2.8 times more common among Blacks than among non-Hispanic Whites in 2000" (Alan Guttmacher, 2004).

It would make sense then to concentrate on African-American teenage girls or to provide programs in those neighborhoods where African-American girls reside. A fact sheet produced by teenpregnancy.org asks the question: "What are the chances of a child growing up in poverty if 1) the mother gives birth as a teen, 2) the parents were unmarried when the child was born, and 3) the mother did not receive a high school diploma or GED" (Why it matters, 2006). The fact sheet provides the answer; 27% if one event occurs, 42% if two events take place and 64% will grow up in poverty in all three events unfold. However, "if none of these things happen, a child's chance of growing up in poverty is 7%" (Zill, O'Donnell, 2004).

With the economy in its current doldrums, the effects of poverty is being felt by more individuals and families, and measures taken to help alleviate the situation will go a long way towards helping the community become stronger.

Poverty can be a debilitating force and considering the wealth generating capabilities of the United States and its citizens, it should be a problem that can be addressed and overcome. Oftentimes, the young are more adversely affected by poverty's force than those who are older, wiser and more stable. If the young are bearing young, then the affects can be even more devastating as they struggle to not only care for themselves, but for a child as well. Concerning teenage pregnancies, one group of researchers concluded; "Our study suggests that levels of relative deprivation may be an underlying cause" (Mookherjee, Pickett, Wilkinson, 2005, p. 1181).

Another author made the point that uneducated sex is "intrinsically linked to poverty, social disadvantage, and poor education" (Why I'm glad, p. 8). The same author touts the opinion that "Keeping kids in the dark about sex is no answer. It is ignorance rather than knowledge which leads to unwanted pregnancies and sexual diseases." (Why I'm glad, 2004, p. 7). Literary opinions such as these seem to send the wrong message. The author of this article was actually happy that her daughter had underage sex. The author wanted everyone to know that all society has to do to combat teenage pregnancies is to educate our children in how to have sex safely.

The proposed study would take a far less cynical approach than the one being espoused by the above article. Since it has been shown that the only sure way of not becoming pregnant is by abstaining from having sexual intercourse, the study will focus on teaching teenagers the benefits of abstinence.

The study could also approach the more liberal philosophy of allowing sexual intercourse at earlier ages, as some would suggest, but in this case it would be much better to concentrate on one simple method, rather than complicating that method by introducing another. The proposed approach can be especially effective in schools where students already have a preconception of the moral right or wrong of certain actions including sexual activities before marriage. This preconception is evident in some schools as presented by a 2007 study.

The study discovered evidence of "endogenous social interactions (social multipliers), where the propensity of an individual choosing to have sex varies with the average behavior in his or her school" (Fletcher, 2007, p. 373). The study results open a door of opportunity for teaching and collaboration in areas in Georgia. If it is true that students are swayed by their peers as Fletcher's study suggests, then it would become easier to teach students about the benefits of abstinence as more students accepted the philosophy as a course they would choose. The potential for an ever-expanding circle of influence seems to be a highly likely event. Fletcher's study further concludes that "these findings might help explain the large variation in sexual initiation across schools in the United States" (Fletcher, p. 374). By comparison, the decline in the teenage pregnancy rate in Georgia means that these students are making the choice to abstain from sexual activities, or at the very least the teenagers are being much more careful in choosing their activities.

That choice also augers well for the proposed study in that students who choose to abstain will influence other students who then might choose to do the same.

Sarah S. Brown, director of the National Campaign to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy said in a 2005 interview that "reducing teen pregnancy can be accomplished only by fewer teens being sexually active and/or by better use of effective contraception among those who are" (Brown, 2005, p. 65).

She asserted that both behaviors were direct links to the decline in teen pregnancies, and that more of the same would be needed to sustain the decline. She said "all of the National Campaign's efforts center on affecting these two behaviors" (Brown, p. 66) and that they accomplish that goal by communicating directly with the teens or by providing information and data to those who work with the teens and that have some influence over the teen's behavior regarding their sexual behavior. Other experts agree with Brown's assessment, at least according to the latest literature. In 2004, Julie Gerberding, Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented a report that showed the birth rate among young adolescents aged 10-14 had fallen to its lowest level since 1946. At that time she said; "We are encouraged by our continued progress in reducing births to teens of all ages, but we are particularly pleased to make this kind of progress in such a young and vulnerable group" (as Teen, 2004, p. 7).

According to the available literature, teenagers are getting the message concerning sexual activities. Many of today's youngsters seem to be either abstaining from sexual intercourse entirely, or are modifying their behavior concerning their premarital sexual activities in a more careful manner. This is true across America but it might not be as true in foreign countries, especially in the Far East where the trend in teenage pregnancies is upward.

One study shows that with the influence of modern media is readily available even in less developed countries.

The study presented data that "traditional restrictive moral codes concerning the sexual conduct of young women in much of Asia and Latin America are weakening under the influence of models of behavior that are portrayed in the mass media" (Caldwell, 2003, p. 660). According to the study these trends in reproductive behavior are "giving rise to greater premarital sexual activity, unintended conceptions, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections" (Caldwell, p. 661).

Other literature concurs with the above study in regards to teenage sexual activities in the Far East, but other countries that use the same approach as that espoused by the proposed study have shown declines as well, which is part of the reason why such methods are promoted.

One interesting point made by a recent study is that the age at which the teenage pregnancies are calculated is not necessarily set in stone. The study states that "we conclude that early adolescent childbearing is best defined as giving birth at 15 years or younger" (Phipps, Sowers, 2002, p. 128).

The veracity of that statement would change the proposed study's focus as well as the focus and conclusions of many of the studies already completed on this same subject. The study graphed the rates of infant mortality, very low birth weight, and very pre-term delivery by maternal age. On all three cases "the inflection point which the poor birth outcome is lower and begins to stabilize is at 16 years" (Phipps, et al., p. 128).

The outcome presented by the study was the same when compared by the three largest U.S. racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-American).

The focus of the proposed study will be to ascertain whether the educational approach used to teach abstinence is effective as it is presented by New Horizons and AHYD. This is an important endeavor because of the overwhelming effect that teenage pregnancies and births can have, not only on the individuals and families directly involved but on the community and the country as well. The proposed study can have additional influence due to recent economic woes being suffered throughout the U.S. A 2000 study predicted that the economic growth experienced at that time would not necessarily continue, and that society had to be prepared to assume the costs of teenage pregnancies (and related costs) that would occur during the good times, and the bad. The study states that a strong economy that had reduced welfare rolls by almost 50% since 1993 probably would not continue.

The study states that when the good times end (as they currently have) then "it will be especially important to have in place policies that prevent young women from coming on to the rolls because of an unplanned pregnancy and birth" (Sawhill, 2000, p. 41).

The literature also shows that the younger the age when a pregnancy occurs, the more likely the individual is to not consider the consequences of their actions.

One study was able to present data that showed that the "behavior of women in their early 20's is far more sensitive to welfare generosity than is that of teenagers" (Hoffman, Foster, 2000, p. 377). When an unplanned pregnancy takes place, the older the female participant the more likely it is that they seriously consider how such an occurrence can shape their lives. The Hoffman/Foster study concludes that the results highlight the need for more research on the non-marital childrearing events in the non-teen years.

Even though the literature is not as abundant as one would think, the diversity of the literature that is available provides researchers with a number of avenues to pursue. The proposed study will seek to provide specific data on how New Horizons and AHYD present the material and whether the material is having the desired affect on teenagers, or not.

METHODOLOGY

One research methodology website touts the fact that the method section of a study should answer two questions; 1) how the data was collected and 2) how the data was analyzed. According to the same website the manner in which methodology is chosen by the researcher will allow the readers of the study to determine if your results are trustworthy. "Knowing how the data was collected helps the reader evaluate the validity and reliability of your results, and the conclusions you draw from them" (Language Center).

It is important therefore, to implement an effective methodology concerning the proposed study in order for the results to be taken seriously.

Employing an analysis of the data collected by the study will be part of the research design. Research analysis in regards to the proposed study will enlighten the reader and provide enough information to make an informed decision on whether to go forth with the study's recommendations, or not. The data will first be examined and divided into different classes. Once that has been accomplished, any trends (or lack thereof) can be determined. Effects of the educational training that is being provided by the study will be analyzed to determine whether the rates of pregnancies and births decline or rise during a specified period of time.

A comparison methodology will also be employed in the proposed study.

How many pregnancies and births to teenagers in the study area will be compared to how many teenagers in the study get pregnant and/or give birth. Data from governmental agencies that have been tracking the area of study will also be compared to see if the teaching of the educational material has any effects on the pregnancy rates.

The dramatic decline in the rate of pregnancy has shown that education as it is presented by AHYD, New Horizons and other community groups can be effective in overcoming those media influences through direct intervention. The proposed study will focus on using educational material and an emphasis on abstinence that has proven successful in the past to do exactly that. Since the media is so successful in promoting such sexual activities, education can use some of the same type of influences to combat media.