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Teen Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is rising. But a teens growing body faces problems different from adults. Find out how to help your pregnant teen.

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Teen Health

Prom Season Begins

Thursday April 29, 2010

The flowers are in bloom, the weather is getting warm which means one thing. It's time for Prom.

As you prepare your teen for prom you should also take the time out to talk about drinking and sex. While not too many people are still holding out till prom night to make love for the first time or have their first shot of whiskey, it is still important to discuss with your teen the health risks sex and drinking has on their young bodies.

For tips on talking to your teen about sex on prom night or any other night, check out these helpful links. For advice on talking to your teen about drinking visit the Alcoholism site for tips on how to address the issue.

Study finds abstinence-only education works

Wednesday February 3, 2010

A study published in the Archive of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine that evaluated the efficiency of abstinence-only education in young adolescents found the advice to abstain from sex is a viable preventative method.

The study showed that only one-third of the sixth and seventh-graders that were offered an eight-hour abstinence-focused program started having sex within two years. Nearly one-half of students in other classes, including a combination of contraception and abstinences, reported becoming sexually active.

The findings prove abstinence-only education can work.

"I think we've written off abstinence-only education without looking closely at the nature of the evidence," said John B. Jemmot III, a professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study, told the Washington Post. "Our study shows this could be one approach that could be used."

The study, which was paid for by the National Institute of Mental Health, comes amid an intense debate on how to reduce teenage sexual activity and pregnancy. The Obama administration eliminated more than $170 million in annual federal funding for abstinence programs after a series of reports found that the approach was ineffective.

A recently released study by the Guttmacher Institute sited abstinence-only education as the reason for a radical increase in teenage pregnancy rates.

New study finds teenage pregnancy rising

Wednesday January 27, 2010

Teenage pregnancy is on the rise according to a recently released study by the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization that conducts research on sexual and reproductive health. According to the report the rate of teenage pregnancies rose 3 percent in 2006 after a ten year decline.

Pregnancy rates in American teens saw a sharp decrease in the 1990s largely due to access to contraceptives. The rate plateaued in the early 2000s but suddenly saw a reverse in 2006. Many place the blame for the teenage pregnancy boom on the abstinence-only education that was promoted by President Bush.

But not everyone is following that train of thought. According to the National Review Online, a conservative news Web site, "In the decade after the federal government began its meager funding of abstinence education, teen pregnancy fell steadily."

Instead of placing blame on sex education, Robert Rector of National Review found the study faulty.

"For most people, 'teen pregnancy' implies pregnancy among high-schoolers, girls under age 18. According to Guttmacher's own data, the pregnancy rate for 15- to 17-year-old girls barely changed, and the rate for girls 14 and under (the group most affected by abstinence programs) actually dropped."

Best Bones Forever - A New Website for Teens and Parents

Sunday October 25, 2009

With Halloween around the corner, this is a great time to talk about bones! Your teen's bones, that is. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recently launched Best Bones Forever, a website dedicated to educating teen girls and parents about bone growth.

Why is this important? Because women build their bones up until the end of their teen years - and then the rest of their lives, just maintain what they have. If a teen does not have enough calcium or does not get enough exercise, she isn't building the bone she could have. This can lead to osteoporosis when she is older, a significant health problem for many in the US and around the world. Best Bones Forever has a parent's section with tips to help your teen girl build strong bones. Don't let bone health spook you! Find out what you can do to help your teen develop good habits and a strong skeleton (I couldn't resist...).

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