Over the past five years, Indiana’s teen birthrate has been steadily declining.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Education is key to this continued decrease, and LifeSmart Youth is proud to play a vital role in this. Explaining to young people both how pregnancy happens and how to prevent it can seem daunting, but it is a crucial conversation to have.
Moreover, it’s a conversation that youth want to have. LifeSmart Youth Health Educators can all attest that the most frequent questions they receive during programming are about pregnancy. Teen pregnancy can lead to outcomes such as increased risk for school dropout, being more socioeconomically disadvantaged, and struggling to reach positive behavioral and health outcomes (for teen parents and their children).
When talking to youth about preventing pregnancy, here are some key points that LifeSmart Youth Health Educators discuss in the classroom:
- Abstinence is the only 100% way to prevent pregnancy and STDs.
- Pregnancy is possible any time vaginal sex happens, even if a method of prevention is being used.
- Not all pregnancy prevention methods can prevent STDs.
May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, so take some time to demystify this topic by talking with the youth in your life. Here are some links to help you start the conversation:
- LifeSmart Youth: Teen Pregnancy in Indiana
- CDC: Reproductive Health – Teen Pregnancy
- Oregon Health Authority: TALKING BACK – Ten Things Teens Want Parents to Know About TEEN PREGNANCY