Screening is one essential service that should be provided as part of any comprehensive strategy to reduce STD rates among teens. Screening programs are especially important for chlamydia because many infected persons have no symptoms. Family planning clinics with screening programs in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington registered a drop of 67 percent in chlamydia infection rates between 1988 and 1997. During that same period, the national reported rate of chlamydia infection more than doubled. We must also recognize that contraception works for sexually active adolescents and that the recent drop in teen pregnancies and births is due, in part, to more consistent use of contraceptives by sexually active teens.
Family planning is an important component of adolescent reproductive health.
The Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates that as a result of publicly funded family planning programs, including clinics and family planning services, about 386,000 unintended pregnancies among females ages 15 to 19 are prevented each year. Beyond access to quality reproductive health services, all young people need comprehensive sexuality education to prepare them for healthy adult relationships. Effective programs give information about abstinence, healthy relationships, and contraception. They also help young people explore attitudes, feelings, and values about human development, dating, gender roles, sexual behavior, and healthy sexual decision making. One model is Girls, Incorporated's Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy program.