This digest reviews trends in adolescent sexual activity and discusses conceptual and programmatic approaches to pregnancy prevention. It discusses a pregnant adolescent's choices for resolving an unplanned pregnancy (i.e. abortion, adoption, keeping the baby, and marriage), and the challenges faced by teenage parents. The final section touches on…

Research has shown that parents may influence the sexual attitudes and behaviors of their late adolescent children. Family sexual communication and the quality of general family communication are two variables that seem to be related to aspects of adolescent sexuality. To examine this issue, college students (N=95) and their parents were…

By 1985, fertility rates in Europe were below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman in all but Albania, Ireland, Malta, Poland, and Turkey, following a steady decline from a 1965 postwar peak well above 2.5 in Northern, Western, and Southern Europe and an erratic trend from a lower level in Eastern Europe. Natural decrease (fewer births…

This document is a curriculum guide for a family life and human development course to be used as a senior high school elective. The purpose of the course is to help students gain a greater understanding of human sexuality and to obtain information needed for intelligent, responsible decision making. Thirteen units included in the course are…

This paper describes the Young Adult and Adolescent Decision Making About Contraception program, an ongoing clinical research project designed to address the problem of unplanned adolescent pregnancy from a biopsychosocial perspective. The program is described as a peer-led intervention to promote the use of contraception by teenage girls at high…

This guide advocates an alliance among diverse groups for the purpose of decreasing the incidence of adolescent pregnancy and improving the outcome of pregnancies that do occur. It provides useful information for communities interested in developing pregnancy prevention activities. Statistics about adolescent pregnancies are given and the…

A study was devised to determine why family planning communication in a Washington state village has been successful despite the lack of planned programs or focused attempts at directed change. Three major social organizational principles affecting family planning communication were analyzed: the occupational split between public employees and…

This bulletin examines the causes of the fertility decline in Sweden and the concerns and ambivalence of Swedes about zero population growth (ZPG). The fertility decline is attributed to many causes. In recent years there has been a drop in marriage rates and a sharp increase in non-marital cohabitation. The decline is also related to the…

The goals of the workshop were (1) to provide an overview of the population problem in the world today as it affects the survival and quality of life of people throughout the world; (2) to explore the meaning of population education within the context of the Catholic educational community; (3) to provide methodologies for the development and…

This document focuses on the use of puppets for educating the illiterate populations of the world in food production and family planning. It is presented as one practical and effective tool for the adult educator and literacy worker. When used as part of a total program of functional literacy for family life planning, it can help young adults gain…

This study investigated the development of effective large-group instructional materials which are relevant and meaningful to the general studies biology student. The criterion of student interest guided the selection of birth, birth control, and genetic counseling as topics for developing relevant prototype instructional materials. These…

The bulletin provides information on the position of the Catholic Church on population issues. The purpose is to help responsible thinkers and world organizations understand the Catholic perspective. The booklet focuses on religious, human, and ethical dimensions of the demographic situation and is presented in seven chapters. The first chapter…

This publication reports trends in teen childbearing in the Nation, in each state, and in large cities using data from the 2000 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Rates of teenage childbearing steadily declined during the 1990s, reaching a record low in 2000. Rates declined for both younger and older teens and for blacks, whites, and…

The firing of Stephen Mumford, a leading fertility researcher at Family Health International (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), because he exposed the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church to influence population policy may be the beginning of a new campaign to cripple population-control leaders and institutions. (IS)

Discusses the health risks associated with adolescent pregnancy as well as the social consequences. Results indicate that though the use of contraceptives is increasing, half the sexually active students do not use any contraceptives. Suggests that age-appropriate sex education begin early and emphasize values and self-esteem. (JAC)