What's the take-away from the research on abstinence-only education, rising teen pregnancy rates and Child Trend's educational attainment findings? Our blog puts it together for you.

The answer apparently is yes, according to this report published in Pediatrics. Data from a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicate that teens exposed to high levels of television sexual content were twice as likely to become pregnant within the next 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure.

The numbers are staggering in this year's UNICEF State of the World's Children report. More than half a million women die each year from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Women in the least developed countries face risks 300 times greater than those in the industrialized world.

For many years, teen fathers were either overlooked or blamed for their role in teen pregnancy. However, interest in designing programs to reduce teen pregnancy and to enhance outcomes for babies and children, as well as meet the needs of this vulnerable population, has increased in recent years. A National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse brief authored by Child Trends, Promising Teen Fatherhood Programs: Initial Evidence Lessons from Evidence-Based Research, identifies ten common features of "model" and "promising" programs for teen fathers. Eighteen fatherhood programs were assessed and, of these, one was identified as a "model" program and three as "promising" programs.

New data finds widespread increases in teen birth rates in 2006 in all ethnic groups and many states; states with the lowest teen birth rates showed the least change. Kristen Moore of Child Trends says the new state-by-state data suggest that the downturn in birth rates is over.

Making a virginity pledge may help some young people postpone the start of sexual activity, according to a new RAND study. It also found that adolescents who make the pledge, but eventually have sex, do not report lower condom use. (The full article is in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

ParentingTeensOnline is a free monthly e-magazine for parents of teens ages 12-19. It offers practical, expert-guided advice and support on teen health, media and technology, drugs/alcohol, education, volunteering, sports, social issues, babysitting, sexuality ... and more. Parents can learn what's happening before they need to know it's happening. The site has a variety of interactive features, including as Ask An Expert (advisory board members respond to parent questions) and polls.

New Moms serves homeless and near-homeless teen moms (ages 13 to 21) and their children with transitional living shelter and a broad array of services that can foster self-sufficiency and family stabi

The Healthy Teen Network (HTN) presents Leading the Charge: Making a Difference in the Lives of Teens and Young Families, as the theme for the 2005 Annual conference.

Despite a recent decline in teen pregnancy rates, nearly one million teenage girls will become pregnant in 2005. Public education programs, websites, and ad campaigns have helped reduce the numbers--but too often, the messages are aimed only at girls. Tamekia Reece reports on one program in North Carolina that encourages boys to take some responsibility for preventing teen pregnancy.