An unintended and in most cases
unwanted pregnancy brings teenagers before a
crisis. Teenage birth rate has declined from 9% in
1985 to 5,2% in 2002, but it still remains a serious
medical and social problem. The high rate of teenage
childbearing among minority and disadvantaged
groups, documented in the United States and the
United Kingdom, is consistent with the hypothesis
that lack of opportunity and socioeconomic
disadvantage contribute to teenage childbearing.
There is also evidence from studies in the United
States that better communication between parents and their adolescent children is associated with later
sexual initiation and lower teenage childbearing.
Strategies have been developed by most
governments in order to reduce the number of
teenage pregnancies and counter the epidemic of
HIV and AIDS.
Formal sex education programs may increase
knowledge about reproductive health and improve
the use of methods to protect against pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases