STI & Pregnancy Education & Prevention

Effective interventions aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents will likely have a major impact on public health. Disproportionately high rates of STIs among young adults and adolescents and a rising teenage birth rate have resulted in significant social and economic burdens. PolicyLab’s research and intervention work seeks to improve adolescent STI and pregnancy prevention by focusing on the use of non-primary care sites as intervention locations.

Emergency Department Provider Issues

Surveys of pediatric emergency medicine physicians assess their knowledge and history of prescribing emergency contraception and explore potential barriers to its prescription for adolescents. Multi-center focus groups gather information from nurses and physicians in pediatric emergency departments about their knowledge, attitudes, and experience related to emergency contraception.

Pregnancy Prevention in the Emergency Department – The Adolescents’ Perspectives

In-depth interviews gather female adolescents’ opinions on the usefulness of offering emergency contraception interventions during emergency department visits. These interviews also explore whether respondents would prefer a particular modality of intervention delivery.

Pregnancy Risk and Desire for Sexual Health Counseling in the Emergency Department

Written anonymous surveys collect information from female adolescents about their sexual histories and recent instances of unprotected sexual intercourse. The surveys also explore adolescent interest in receiving sexual health education about sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention in an emergency department setting.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Emergency Contraception

This project involves interviews of adolescent girls in an emergency department setting about their knowledge of emergency contraception as a pregnancy prevention option. Interviews explore adolescents’ attitudes and intentions related to emergency contraception and attempt to identify barriers to its use.

PolicyLab

Emergency Department Provider Issues

Pregnancy Prevention in the Emergency Department – The Adolescents’ Perspectives

Pregnancy Risk and Desire for Sexual Health Counseling in the Emergency Department

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Emergency Contraception

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