Adult Communication and Teen Sex

Summary

Between 1993 and 1998, the Casey Foundation rolled out a pregnancy prevention initiative called Plain Talk in five low-income urban neighborhoods. This report utilizes survey results to discuss what worked well and what didn’t during the program’s implementation. Readers will also learn if the initiative accomplished its original intent, which was to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy in participating sites (Spoiler alert: It did).

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• The Problem and the Initiative’s Response
• The Demonstration Sites and Their Programs
• The Effects of Plain Talk on Neighborhood Youth
• Plain Talk’s Implementation
• Conclusions
• Afterword
• Endnotes
• References

Key Takeaway

Introducing Plain Talk: An innovative pregnancy prevention program

The Plain Talk initiative aimed to change how communities communicate. It asked adults to give teens the information and encouragement necessary to protect themselves sexually. It also sought to empower sexually active teens to act more responsibly by giving them easy access to contraceptives. This approach was undeniably bold — and innovative. And it worked.