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Declines in pregnancies among US adolescents from 2007 to 2017: behavioral contributors to the trend
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12 2022
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Source: J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 35(6):676-684
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Details:
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Alternative Title:J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol
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Description:Study objectives:
Adolescents in the United States have undergone dramatic declines in pregnancies and births in recent decades. We aimed to estimate the contribution of changes in three proximal behaviors to these declines among 14-18-year-olds for 2007-2017: 1) delays in age at first sexual intercourse, 2) declines in number of sexual partners, and 3) changes in contraceptive use, particularly uptake of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).
Design:
We adapted an existing iterative dynamic population model and parameterized it using six waves of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. We compared pregnancies from observed behavioral trends with counterfactual scenarios that assumed constant behaviors over the decade. We calculated outcomes by cause, year and age.
Results:
We found that changes in these behaviors could explain reductions of 496,200, 78,500, and 40,700 pregnancies over the decade, respectively, with total medical and societal cost savings of $9.71 billion, $1.54 billion, and $796 million. LARC adoption, particularly among 18-year-olds, could explain much of the improvements from contraception use. The three factors together did not fully explain observed birth declines; adding a 50% decline in sex acts per partner did.
Conclusions:
Delays in first sexual intercourse contributed the most to declining births over this decade, although all behaviors considered had major effects. Differences from earlier models may result from differences in years and ages covered. Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs, including comprehensive sex education, youth-friendly reproductive health services and parental and community support can continue to address these drivers and reduce teen pregnancy.
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Pubmed ID:35830926
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC9701145
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