title: The Effects of State-Mandated Abstinence-Based Sex Education on Teen Health Outcomes.
abstract: In 2011, the USA had the second highest teen birth rate of any developed nation, according to the World Bank, . In an effort to lower teen pregnancy rates, several states have enacted policies requiring abstinence-based sex education. In this study, we utilize a difference-in-differences research design to analyze the causal effects of state-level sex education policies from 2000-2011 on various teen sexual health outcomes. We find that state-level abstinence education mandates have no effect on teen birth rates or abortion rates, although we find that state-level policies may affect teen sexually transmitted disease rates in some states. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, USA.
authors.forename: Jillian B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Texas A&M University, USA.
authors.forename: Analisa
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5363-0872
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Packham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067697:Adolescent Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001723:Birth Rate; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods*; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States
keywords: STD; abstinence; pregnancy; sex education; state policy