Teen Births Up, but We're Not Down: Why Age Matters When It Comes to Contraception

In 2006, the nation's teen birth rate increased for the first time since 1991, with 99% of births being to teens ages 15-19. While the birth rate for these older teens increased, the rate for youth ages 10-14 declined. Understanding how attitudes and behaviors regarding contraception and pregnancy differ between younger and older youth can help policymakers and youth-serving professionals provide age-appropriate messages and services needed to reverse the current trend.

This analysis examines 13,000 youth surveyed through California's Teen Pregnancy Prevention program. Younger (ages 10-14) and older (ages 15-19) youth were compared on attitudes toward pregnancy, and among sexually-active youth, reasons for not using condoms, and contraceptive behaviors.

Older youth were more likely than younger youth to have a child and to report that they would be happy about being or getting someone pregnant. Comparing 4,154 older with 1,024 younger sexually-active youth, older youth were more likely to report using no contraception (32% vs. 24%) or withdrawal as their method of protection at last sex (15% vs. 10%). In contrast, younger youth were more likely to use contraception every time they had oral sex (25% vs. 16%) and vaginal sex (55% vs. 41%). When asked reasons for not using condoms, older youth were more likely to report: lack of pleasure with condoms, having a monogamous relationship, and not having condoms at the time.

These findings point to the need for additional research and prevention efforts focused on how sexual and contraceptive decision-making varies through stages of adolescence.