Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical - ETR Associates

Activity 4-1Pregnancy Risk Activity and Follow-Up ActivitiesDescription of ActivityObjectives: Students will be able to:1. Describe the chances of becoming pregnant (or getting someone pregnant) when people haveunprotected sex2. Summarize the reduced chances when they either do not have sex or use contraceptioneffectively3. Summarize the personal consequences of unintended pregnancyRisk and Protective Factors Affected:1. Knowledge2. Perception of risk of unprotected sex, including both probability of pregnancy and short-termand long-term consequences of pregnancyActivity:Students choose a number from 1 to 6. The educator tells them that the chances of pregnancy fromunprotected sex are roughly 1 out of 6 each month. Then the educator randomly pulls a numberfrom a bag simulating a pregnancy test, calls the number and tells students who chose that numberto stand up and remain standing, because they just learned they were pregnant. After returning thefirst number to the bag, the instructor randomly chooses another number for the second month,calls it out, etc. This continues until either everyone is standing or 12 months have passed.The educator notes that not everyone got pregnant the first month, but before the year is out, all,or nearly all, of the students are pregnant and standing. She/he also notes that some numbers werecalled twice reflecting the fact that people may become pregnant a second time if they continue tohave unprotected sex.The educator then tells the students that they have all just learned that they are pregnant (or gotsomeone pregnant) and asks them to write a paragraph describing how they feel, whom they willtell, what it will feel like to tell their parents, their girl/boyfriend and other friends and what theywill do during the next few days.The educator then asks youth to create a list of things they would like to do in the following yearsand assess how becoming a parent might impact or prevent some of those activities.Finally, the educator holds up the bag with the six sheets of paper and calls out the numbers.However, this time the educator reads the message on the sheet of paper. Five of the messages statethe students did not become pregnant because 1) they decided not to have sex and stuck to thatdecision or 2) they always used contraception effectively. One of the six sheets of paper states thestudents did become pregnant, because they had unprotected sex.Important Considerations in Using ItPossible Pitfalls That Might Reduce Effectiveness:1. Not all students participate (choose a number).2. Students are not given sufficient time to contemplate how they would feel if they just learnedthey were pregnant or got someone pregnant.(Continued)50 Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical Guide for Developing and Adapting Curriculum-Based Programs