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A TEENAGE PREGNANCY prevention programme involving a baby simulator does not appear to have any long-term effect on reducing the risk of teenage pregnancy.
According to the first randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of this intervention, teenage girls who took part in the Australian programme were more, not less, likely to become pregnant compared to girls who did not take part.
The study published in The Lancet last night, involved a total of 57 schools in Western Australia. The study was conducted because “despite growing popularity and an increasing global presence of such programmes, there is no published evidence of their long-term impact”.
These type of pregnancy prevention programmes are reportedly delivered in 89 countries, and the authors of this Australian trial warn that the intervention is likely to be an ineffective use of public funds to prevent teenage pregnancy.
The aim of the Virtual Infant Parenting (VIP) programme is to show students the impact drugs and alcohol have on early child development, and is an Australian adaptation of the US health programme RealityWorks, sometimes referred to as ‘Baby Think It Over’.
What do these programmes involve?
The VIP programme is delivered by school nurses over six consecutive days and includes educational sessions, a workbook, watching a video documentary of teenage mothers talking about their experiences, and caring for an infant simulator over the weekend.
The educational sessions include classes on the impact of not smoking, drinking or taking drugs on a healthy pregnancy, good nutrition, the financial costs of having a baby, sexual health, contraception, and respectful relationships.
The infant simulator is a doll that cries when it needs to be fed, burped, rocked or changed and measures and reports on mishandling, crying time, the number of changes and general care.
The use of infant simulator programmes is common in developed countries and their use is increasing in low- and middle-income countries.
Despite this, there is no robust evidence of their effectiveness. While some studies have looked at the effect on girls’ intentions to get pregnant, or attitudes to pregnancy, no randomised trials have objectively measured the impact on pregnancy.
Methodology
The study’s researchers linked information to data from hospital records and abortion clinics. All girls were aged 13-15 at the start of the study and they were followed until the age of 20.
Compared to girls in the control group (who didn’t partake in the programme), girls enrolled on the VIP programme had higher rates of pregnancy and abortion. 8% of the girls in the intervention group had at least one birth, compared to 4% in the control group.
Responding to the study, Professor Julie A Quinlivan, University of Notre Dame Australia, said that there were a few reasons why the intervention does not work.
She says:
The cure for teenage pregnancy is more difficult than a magic doll. We have to address both mothers and fathers.
“Programmes need to start in infancy. Investment in vulnerable children is needed to entice these adolescents from the path of premature parenthood into brighter futures. We cannot afford the quick fix, especially when it doesn’t work.”
Another popular abstinence-only program bits some reality dust
Could we not just start pumping contraceptives into the water supply going to various housing estates around the place and not tell anyone?
Seeing as the flouride is already dumbing down the nation, sure why not.
Statistics. Pah! Meanwhile over on Rio channel, lads in fancy dress, it’s a story that gives and gives!
Am I the only one interested in hearing what Ibrahim Halawa has to say on the ticket tout scandal in Rio? So many “Irish Citizens” languishing in foreign jails.
Probably.
His dad is the Imam of Clonskeagh mosque which itself has strong links to the Muslim Brotherhood. To be clear, the Muslim Brotherhood is to ISIS what Sinn Fein is to the IRA
Quite frankly, I don’t care what Ibrahim Halawa thinks or does or what happens to him. He was in Egypt to agitate, he found himself on the wrong side and lands in gaol.
Having a passport does not entitle you to do whatever you want abroad while expecting your country to bail you out. If you’re a muppet like Ibrahim you deserve to be locked up.
Besides, in a video interview he gave before his arrest he made it quite clear he differentiated between his nationality (Egyptian) and where he lives (Ireland). He gave a speech from the platform in Tahrir Square ffs.
Christ on a bike, this is not an article about Ibrahim Halawa.
Leave him in Egypt.
All girls schools/sports/out of school activities DO NOT prevent pregnancy, 7 out of my class got pregnant in the summer after leaving cert, most of whom came from highly religious families, played on the winning hockey team and had bright academic futures. The highly charged environment of an all girls school with its inherent competition means girls more likely to push each other further into sexualisation than not. I believe the answer is a combination of knowledge, how a baby is conceived, effects on life/study, contraception, breaking the cycle in some places of girls getting pregnant cause its the done thing. Problem with this study as I see it is…. they know its going to end in a weekend, thats not the case with a baby,
If you want to keep your daughter’s virtuous and pregnancy free then send them to a good Catholic school.
Simple.
But do the exact opposite to keep your young boys chaste
LOL
Catholicism is not the path to Jesus, however well intentioned.
Keeping our teenage girls from getting pregnant at what we deem to be too early in their lives will reflect on how we as parents teach them regarding morals, self respect and responsibility.
However, unlike in the past, we should steer clear of the Catholic practice of shaming them should they become pregnant. We should stand with them and support them and most especially of all keep them clear from the liberals too who offer them the “easy” way out through abortion.
I agree LoneHurler.
Shaming is not good.
Too much of that in our past.
You make some valid points otherwise.
“Hello young woman, as a single mother you will get no money from the government for your baby. The burden will fall on your family. Also, we will be taking the child away and putting it in an orphange. You will never see it again. ”
This is what worked to keep the numbers of single mothers low from the 1850s to the 1950s.
See how simople it is?
Biologically, isn’t 18 a really good time to get pregnant and have a baby. It’s just our society that tells us it’s a bad time. In Niger if a 17 year old became pregnant for the first time it would be celebrated. There seems to be a consensus that teenage pregnancy is a bad thing in Europe.
Not surprising. Best thing to do to prevent teen pregnancies is to have young womens minds on anything other than boys/babies…tell them to focus on their studies, get them into sports, or best of all send them to an all girls school.
I can’t tell if you’re trolling. The majority of girls in Ireland go to all girl schools.
Exactly. Probably one of the reasons our teen birth rate is much lower than UK or US.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Co-education from primary to tertiary is the first step. Both boys and girls should regard members of the opposite sex as people first and allow ordinary friendships to develop.
Single sex education is an absolute disaster and does nothing to normalise male/female interactions at any level.
Can someone explain why my comment was removed? Reality too harsh for you?
Are you the all single mothers are degenerates guy?
Nope. I’m the guy that simply suggested making a documentary showing the paths of two similar aged women where one gets pregnant and the other doesn’t.
well as I replied to your last comment, gross generalisation and all as it was, the real way to combat pregnancy is through comprehensive sex education, removing the stigma from teenagers buying condoms (I still know people who hate buying them) and showing alternative long term contraceptives such as the coil and implanon as a real option for young women as they have less of a failure rate than the pill or condoms
what nonsense. You think the best way to prevent teen pregnancies is to keep the teen girls minds on sex and contraception? Naive.
It’s not gross generalisation. The same way it”s not gross generalisation when the government puts graphic images on cigarette packets. It’s the reality. The dangerous people are the ones that try to sugar coat or cover up these types of situations. If you smoke, your lungs will be destroyed and you will most likely end up with cancer. If you get pregnant, your life will be altered for the rest of your natural life. You can’t hide people from that. It’s factual.
I know ten single mothers none of whom were homeless, all of whom have degrees, your life will be altered but not necessarily ruined by pregnancy by an early unwanted pregnancy
You’re the naive one, young people will have sex regardless of whether you keep it on their minds as you put it, girls in my school got pregnant because of lies, misconception and stigma around contraception if they had had education and access to it, they would have had sex and not gotten pregnant, I’m a 22 year old woman I think I know a little bit more about teenage girls of this generation than you do Fred Honey
Who said they’d end up homeless. I am merely pointing out that life is difficult enough for anyone. Once you have a child, life gets much harder and things such as degrees, careers and other life achievements become much more harder than they already are. Not pointing that out to young mothers (and fathers) is dangerous. Adults have a responsibility to ensure teenagers make the right choices for them. They cannot do that without all the facts.
ok yeah make the reality evident to them, then arm them with the tools to make safe sexual choices forcing abstinence only sex education on them does not prevent pregnancy
Abstinence only is a cause of the problem. Catholic sex education is a root cause. Kids must be thought that sex is natural and should be thought the safe ways to have sex. Along with the long term repercussions.
Agreed
have your say