Working with the Media to Promote Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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TABLE 4Sample facts and stats sheetMAKING IT HAPPEN132Taxpayers pay a high price for teen childbearingTotal: $6.9 billion ($2,831 per teen parent)$0.1$1.7$1.4(estimated annual costs to taxpayers ofteen childbearing, 1998 dollars)■ Lost Tax Revenues■ Public Assistance Expenditures■ Health Care Costs for the Children of Teen Mothers■ Foster Care Costs■ Criminal Justice Costs$2.7$1.0• The teen birth rate has declined slowlybut steadily for 6 years. In 1986, thebirth rate reached 50.2 births per 1,000females ages 15-19, its lowest point inmore than half a century. Between 1986and 1991, the teen birth rate rose byone-fourth, peaking at 62.1 per 1,000females in 1991. Since 1991, the rate hasdeclined by approximately 16 percent, to52.3 per 1,000 in 1997.• The younger a sexually experiencedteenaged girl is, the more likely she is tohave had unwanted or non-voluntary sex.Close to four in ten girls who had firstintercourse at 13 or 14 report it waseither non-voluntary or unwanted. 58050How bad is the problem?• The United States has the highestrates of teen pregnancy and births inthe western industrialized world.Teen pregnancy costs the UnitedStates at least $7 billion annually. 1• More than 4 out of 10 young womenbecome pregnant at least oncebefore they reach the age of 20-nearlyone million a year. 2 Eight in ten ofthese pregnancies are unintended 3and 80 percent are to unmarriedteens. 4Teen birth rates are dropping but remain high401974 1978 1982 1986 1990 19941972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996——•—— Births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19Teen mothers are less likely tocomplete high school6050402032%68%Who suffers the consequences?• Teen mothers are less likely to completehigh school (only one-third receive ahigh school diploma) 6 and more likely toend up on welfare (nearly 80 percent ofunmarried teen mothers end up on welfare).7 The children of teenage mothershave lower birth weights, 8 are more likelyto perform poorly in school, 9 and are atgreater risk of abuse and neglect. 10 Thesons of teen mothers are 13 percentmore likely to end up in prison while teendaughters are 22 percent more likely tobecome teen mothers themselves. 110Teenage Mothers:Educational Attainment by Age 30■ High School Diploma■ No High School Diploma
TABLE 4 (cont.)Teen girls’ main reasons for abstaining from sex4020044%20.3%19.7%12.7%3.3%Reasons for Abstaining■ Against Values■ Avoid Pregnancy■ Avoid STDs■ No Right Partner■ Other• Contraceptive use among sexually activeteens has increased but remains inconsistent.Two-thirds of teens use somemethod of contraception (usually a condom)the first time they have sex. 15 Asexually active teen who does not usecontraception has a 90 percent chance ofpregnancy within one year. 16• Parents rate high among many teens astrustworthy and preferred informationsources on birth control. One in twoteens say they “trust” their parents mostfor reliable and complete informationabout birth control, only 12 percent say afriend. 17• Teens who have been raised by both parents(biological or adoptive) from birthhave lower probabilities of having sexthan teens who grew up in any otherfamily situation. At age 16, 22 percent ofgirls from intact families and 44 percentof other girls have had sex at leastonce. 18 Similarly, teens from intact, twoparentfamilies are less likely to give birthin their teens than girls from other familybackgrounds. 19What helps prevent teenpregnancy?• The primary reason that teenage girlswho have never had intercourse give forabstaining from sex is that having sexwould be against their religious or moralvalues. Other reasons cited includedesire to avoid pregnancy, fear of contractinga sexually transmitted disease(STD), and not having met the appropriatepartner. 12• Teenagers who have strong emotionalattachments to their parents are muchless likely to become sexually active at anearly age. 13• Most people say teens should remainabstinent but should have access to contraception.Ninety-five percent of adultsin the United States-and 85 percent ofteenagers-think it important that schoolagedchildren and teenagers be given astrong message from society that theyshould abstain from sex until they areout of high school. Almost 60 percent ofadults also think that sexually activeteenagers should have access to contraception.14Teens’ most trusted informationsources about birth control604020055%39%24%■ Parents■ Doctors or other health professionals■ Teachers, school nurses, or sex ed classes133MEDIA
Page 4 and 5: MAKING IT HAPPEN102hours, confident
Page 6 and 7: MAKING IT HAPPEN104campaign to dela
Page 8 and 9: MAKING IT HAPPENkernel from which y
Page 10 and 11: Core message worksheetDesired Resul
Page 12 and 13: Selecting a media optionOPTIONCONSI
Page 14 and 15: Working with the news mediaMAKING I
Page 16 and 17: MAKING IT HAPPEN114Using the tools
Page 18 and 19: FIELD NOTESMAKING IT HAPPEN116Getti
Page 20 and 21: MAKING IT HAPPEN118• Do not go
Page 22 and 23: MAKING IT HAPPEN120Florida’s six-
Page 24 and 25: MAKING IT HAPPEN122• Create a buz
Page 26 and 27: ConclusionMedia campaigns designed
Page 28 and 29: MAKING IT HAPPEN126Sex Lasts a Mome
Page 30 and 31: TABLE 1 (cont.)MAKING IT HAPPEN128I
Page 32 and 33: TABLE 2Sample media messages for a
Page 36: TABLE 4 (cont.)BRING “BEST BETS T

Working with the Media to Promote Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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