Effects of a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Researchers aimed to determine the effects of a teenage pregnancy (TP) prevention program for 816 high school students attending 16 KwaZulu-Natal, South African schools through a randomized control trial. Data were collected at baseline and at the 8-month follow-up in 2009. Results were calculated using multivariate anal-yses of program effects employing Mplus 6, and indicated signifi-cantly healthier attitudes, including intentions to abstain from sex whilst at school, plans to communicate with partners about teenage pregnancy, and increased reports of condom use. Researchers thus provide some support for the effectiveness of a TP prevention pro-gram that should be further strengthened in a comprehensive ap-proach that includes schools and families.