Building on Youth Assets to Improve Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs in California

Assets, including familial and community support, and internal factors, such as educational engagement, responsibility, and self-esteem, provide youth with a foundation to achieve their life goals. Previous research has demonstrated an inverse relationship between assets and risk behaviors; youth with more assets are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and engage in risky sexual behavior, and are more likely to do well in school. This analysis examines: 1) characteristics associated with youth assets and aspirations, and 2) the association between assets and risky behavior. We analyze data from a statewide survey of 7,983 youth aged 10-19 who participated in California's Office of Family Planning's Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) programs in 2004-05. Preliminary bivariate analyses suggest that females, younger teens, and youth not from Spanish speaking homes have higher mean asset scores on a scale of 6 internal-asset questions, including having and reaching goals, solving problems responsibly, and ability to make good decisions. Those with higher mean scores were more likely to have talked with a parent/guardian in the last month about teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections, feel more confident that they could get and correctly use a condom, and were less likely to be sexually experienced. Youth with higher mean asset scores tended to have higher grades and were less likely to report using drugs or alcohol in the last month. These results demonstrate the need for teen pregnancy prevention programs to assess and develop assets, including internal individual assets and external familial and community assets.