In This Issue:

Birth Control Does Not Increase Sexual Risk-Taking

Silence on Birth Control has Consequences

Helping Teens and Families Make Proud Choices

Birth Control Does Not Increase Sexual Risk-Taking

Providing no-cost contraception does not lead to increased sexual risk-taking behavior. According to a recent analysis of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project - a study of 9,256 women - there was a significant decrease in the fraction of women who had more than one recent sexual partner. Most of those reporting an increase in the number of sexual partners were increasing from zero partners to one partner.

The frequency of intercourse increased from baseline, increasing from a median of 4 to 6 times in the last month. However, there was no increase in the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) chlamydia or gonorrhea observed in those with higher frequency.

Providing contraception at no cost in the CHOICE study dramatically reduced the rate of unintended pregnancies and abortions. This report is reassuring in that it did not find an increase in risky behavior with "free" contraception. Some worry that using birth control will increase risk for STIs, and this important study found no such increase.

Teens Under Pressure

Too many teens say they have been pressured to do something sexual that was more than they wanted to do. A recent survey from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy foung that, overall, 17% of of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 expressed feeling some sort of sexual pressure.

The group of teens that expressed the most pressure was 17-year-old girls (24%), followed closely by girls 13- through 17-years-old (21%). Boys between the ages of 13- and 17-years-old experienced the least sexual pressure (12%).

The survey also details the pressure felt according to racial/ethnic group. The group most likely to report feeling pressure was black non-Hispanic teens (20%),

followed by whites (18%). Hispanic teens were the group experiencing the least

amount of pressure (12%).The fact that this proportion is less than 1 in 5 is

somewhat reassuring, but no teen should be pressured about sex.

More can be done to bring the numbers down.

Healthy Futures of Texas's youth programs include building refusal skills and avoiding risky situations. The curricula we use also give teens a better understanding of what could happen if they give in to pressure. That's why we affectionately call our youth programs, collectively, "Teens Have the Tools."

[Photo: The National Campaign]

Silence on Birth Control has Consequences

The majority of 18- and 19-year-olds have had sex, and their lack of education about birth control is reflected in their high rates of unplanned pregnancy. As detailed in an opinion piece by Cindy Ballard in The San Antonio Express-News, these older teens account for about 71 percent of teen births, and 80 percent of their pregnancies are unplanned. Contraception is an important component in reducing teen pregnancy, especially with older teens.

According to the CDC, Birth control is one of the top 10 public health achievements in the last 100 years, and yet, in the United States, teaching youth about the various methods and their proper use remains a taboo subject. Research has confirmed that sexual health education does not increase teen sex, but sex education remains controversial.

This silence about pregnancy prevention has left many teens and young adults without the tools to make a healthy and responsible choice about when to get pregnant (or cause a pregnancy). Ballard, who is a board member of the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, which seeks to improve the quality of communities by creating healthy dialogue about teen pregnancy.

Helping Teens and Families Make Proud Choices

The Healthy Futures of Texas Education Team reaches teens and families at various community agencies, including YMCA; SA Youth; and a local transformational campus for homeless people, Haven for Hope.

Haven for Hope is a temporary home to many single men and women, as well as families. Healthy Futures and Haven work together to provide necessary resources to families; such as parent sessions and teens programs focusing on teen health and parent-child communication.

The teen sessions are led by health educators Daisy Escamilla and Alexander Limas. Each cycle is a series of 8 lessons with a variety of topics ranging from goal setting, defining obstacles in life, abstinence as the only 100% effective way of preventing pregnancy, contraception, and preventing the transmission of STIs and HIV.

According to Limas, "the teens really have fun in our lessons. We bring food every time and try to make a relaxed and inviting environment where they feel comfortable talking. Not only are we there for our lessons, but we also have office hours for 6 hours a week, just in case somebody needs to come in and talk. I enjoy getting to connect with them."

The team uses an evidence-based abstinence-plus curriculum called Making Proud Choices: A Safer-Sex approach to teen pregnancy, STDs and HIV prevention.

Healthy Futures of Texas is committed to reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy in San Antonio

and Texas by providing and promoting science-based and culturally appropriate approaches.

We are working toward a community where every young person is able to reach their potential, and

every child is wanted, loved, and cared for.

2300 W. Commerce, Ste. 204

San Antonio, Texas, 78207

210.223.4589

info@hf-tx.org

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