The Abstinence Education E-Update is a free information service of the Division of Abstinence Education of the HHS/ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau, provided by the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth. Contact NCFY at (301) 608-8098 or ncfy@acf.hhs.gov. If you're having trouble viewing this e-mail, please click here to view a version of it on the Web.
September 16, 2008 Video Music Awards Spur 'Promise Ring' Debate How STDs Increase the Risk of Becoming Infected with HIV What To Make of Students' Sexy Clothes? Case Renews Abstinence-Only Debate GOP Platform on Abstinence and Education Signs of Sex-ed Success Mercer Researcher's Program To Fight Expansion of STDs Grows When Should Parents Give the 'Birds and the Bees' Talk? Health Department Seeks Roughly $1.7 Million in Federal Grants CDC Survey Says Fewer High School Students Have Had Sex Suncoast Teens Gather at Abstinence Rally The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth maintains a listing of organizations identified as potential funding sources for abstinence education programs. The listing includes grant descriptions and contact information. Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Rose Community Foundation Colts Student All Star Grant Program Virginity Pledges Among the Willing: Delays in First Intercourse and Consistency of Condom Use (2008) (full text available for a fee) -- This study in the Journal of Adolescent Health [in press] revealed that making a virginity pledge appears to be an effective means of delaying sexual intercourse among those inclined to pledge, without influencing other sexual behavior; pledging does not appear to affect sexual safety among pledgers who fail to remain abstinent. According to the researchers, the data suggests that it is a good idea for teens that are inclined to delay sex to make a pledge, because they're more likely to delay sex if they do so. Runaway and Pregnant: Risk Factors Associated with Pregnancy in a National Sample of Runaway/Homeless Female Adolescents (2008) (full text available for a fee) –Researchers in this Journal of Adolescent Health [Volume 43(2): 125–132] study reported that teens were more likely to be pregnant if they dropped out of school, left home for longer periods of time, had a sexually transmitted disease, or felt abandoned by their family. Family factors, such as living in a single parent household and experiencing emotional abuse by one's mother, increased the odds of a teen being pregnant. Pregnant runaway adolescents were characterized as being less connected to their schools, to their parents, and to society. Predicting Early Sexual Activity with Behavior Problems Exhibited at School Entry and in Early Adolescence (2008) (full text available for a fee) -- This Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology [in press] study found that high rates of childhood behavior disorders increased behavior problems in early adolescence and promoted early sexual activity. The authors suggest that structured prevention programs may be most helpful in middle schools if they promote strong connections to family and teachers, peers, and extracurricular and vocational interests. Psychosocial Predictors of Sexual Initiation and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors in Early Adolescence (2007) -- This Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health [Volume 22(1):14] study found that adolescents who show signs of violent delinquency and substance abuse are most likely to engage in sexual risk behavior by the end of middle school. The authors recommend that sex education programs incorporate violence reduction strategies. Top Ten Findings-The Parent Factor in Teen Sex Outcomes (2008) Decreasing Nonmarital Births and Strengthening Marriage to Reduce Poverty (2007) – In this article in The Future of Children [Volume 17(2): 117-141], researchers argue that strengthening marriage is an effective strategy for fighting poverty. Generally, premarital education improves marital quality and lowers the risk of divorce, according to the authors. Quinceañera Celebration: Preserving the Rite of Passage Web Cast Teen Online Social Networking Web Cast National Abstinence Education Grantees Conference The Abstinence Education E-Update Spotlight has highlighted various topics, from new Federal staff to effective State programs. Now, NCFY will highlight at least one State a month, looking at legislation, policy, and specific State features related to abstinence education. OKLAHOMA What’s Interesting at the State Level?
In Pushmataha and Choctaw Counties, 11,327 youth participate in abstinence-only classes in schools and community organizations. Teen Choices, a Temporary Assistance For Needy Families-funded abstinence education project of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Southwest Oklahoma, teaches sexual health relationship education with a focus on abstinence until marriage in the Lawton area. The 5-day interactive presentation serves 6th through 12th grade and has been viewed by thousands of students. State Law in Oklahoma In HIV/AIDS prevention education, Section 243 in the Oklahoma Statute 70-11-103.3 states that students, at the option of the local school district, should receive AIDS education a minimum of once during grades five through twelve. AIDS prevention education teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain means for preventing the spread or contraction of AIDS. The Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) Integrated Curriculum: Health, Safety, and Physical Education includes standards for HIV/AIDS education in seventh through twelfth grades. These standards require instructors to investigate and examine current information about HIV/AIDS in order to differentiate related facts, opinions, and myths and examine and identify the importance of sexual abstinence. What's Interesting at the Community Level? Quote of the Day "In today's society, there is a lot of issues. The physical issue is getting pregnant and STD's. But the one thing that isn't always talked about is the emotional baggage that comes along when you are sexually active before marriage." (Bekah Walchle, teenager and member of the Red Letter Rebels, WWSB ABC 7 (FL), August 27, 2008) |
The Abstinence Education E-Update comprises links to Web sites with information on current events, research, funding opportunities, and other items related to abstinence-until-marriage education. Inclusion of this information does not imply endorsement by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY). Moreover, the points of view or opinions expressed on these Web sites do not necessarily represent the official position, policies, or views of FYSB, HHS, or NCFY.
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