A systematic review of pregnancy prevention programs for minority youth in the u.s.: A critical analysis and recommendations for improvement

In the United States, African American and Latino youth suffer from disproportionate rates of adolescent pregnancy. A public health priority to ameliorate the high rates among this population has been the creation and proposed expansion of pregnancy prevention programs designed specifically for minority youth. To better understand the components and outcomes of existing programs for this population, this systematic review of the literature analyzed published outcome evaluations of adolescent pregnancy prevention programs for minority youth. This review of scholarly databases abstracted results from 10 published outcome evaluations meeting all inclusion criteria. Publications were assessed for intervention characteristics, including use of theory, implementation setting, and cultural tailoring. In addition, characteristics of the evaluation, including study design, outcome variables, and measures were assessed. Results of this review indicated that 9 of the 10 evaluations found statistically significant results for a main pregnancy prevention variable (delay of sexual initiation, avoidance of sexual activity, intent to engage in sexual activity, or birth). The review also indicated areas for improvement in methodological quality, and consistency in cultural components, variables and measures. Implications of this research indicate a positive impact from adolescent pregnancy programs for minority youth, and a need to expand standardized measures and program components as well as increase rigor in research methodology.