Adolescent pregnancy prevention

This article is a review of basic and evaluative research that has reported a relationship between sex education and pregnancy related behaviors among adolescents. Findings from national probability surveys about the relationship of sex education to coital behavior and contraception are initially examined. Behavioral successes among different types of primary intervention efforts, including school clinics, abstinence-only, multidimensional, and theory-based programs, are then reviewed. Prevention theory is used to explore the ramifications of the findings for family interventionists.