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. Girls, Inc. is a national youth organization, and their program provides females, ages 9 to 18, with the information, skills, and motivation-building activities they need to avoid early pregnancy and to plan full, satisfying lives. The program has four components targeting specific age groups. Another program that is widely used in communities across the country was developed for seventh and eighth graders by the Emory University School of Medicine and the Grady Memorial Hospital Teen Services Program in Atlanta, Georgia.