Building and Sustaining Community Partnerships for Teen Pregnancy Prevention: A211 Working Paper

摘要

This project grew out of a call from President Clinton and the Congress for a211u001estrategy to reduce teen pregnancies and to a directive to assure that at least 25 211u001epercent of U.S. communities have teen pregnancy prevention programs in place. 211u001eThis working paper presents a review of the literature of various partnership 211u001erelationships designed to produce change in a range of topical areas. Many of the 211u001eproblems addressed were associated with teenage risk-taking behaviors. The 211u001eliterature review revealed many current programs do not address many of the risk 211u001efactors associated with teen pregnancy prevention, such as poverty and social 211u001edisorganization, instead focusing on a single aspect of prevention; many programs 211u001eare brief and superficial and often too late to have a large, meaningful impact 211u001eon high-risk groups. Investigators have concluded that broad-based, comprehensive 211u001eprevention efforts are the best approach to intervention in the complex problem 211u001eof adolescent pregnancy. Effective programs must focus on multiple factors, 211u001eincluding beliefs, perceived norms, skills and interventions, and environmental 211u001efactors that interfere with intentions to be abstinent or use contraception. 211u001eWhile the establishment of partnerships to combat teen pregnancy is a wise choice 211u001eit also requires sustained financial support, and clear and consistent goals. An 211u001ealternative is to work with already existing partnerships such as those 211u001eestablished to work to improve housing or combat crime, in efforts to combat teen 211u001epregnancy.