Abstinence-Only Education: Impact on Adolescent Birth Rates

Investigators from multiple institutions conducted a longitudinal, state-level study to assess the relationship between adolescent sexuality education and adolescent birth rates. The primary exposure variable was federal funding to states for adolescent sexuality education over the study period (1998–2016), categorized as abstinence-only education (AOE) or adolescent pregnancy prevention (APP). AOE programs restrict information about contraception and other risk-reduction approaches to adolescent pregnancy, whereas APP programs teach age-appropriate, medically accurate information on a broad set of topics related to sexuality. Sexuality education program type was determined using the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, which collects information on federal funding for AOE by state, and data from the Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System, which …