Sustained Reduction in Adolescent Pregnancy Rates Through School and Community-Based Education - 1982-2000

Oct 15, 2026

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Resident adolescents in Bamberg County, South Carolina, received repeated public health information and education interventions beginning October 1982 to reduce unintended pregnancies among unmarried teens. Analyses compared 20-year pregnancy rates for girls aged 14–17 in Bamberg County, three original comparison counties, and the state of South Carolina from 1981–2000. Bamberg County showed three consecutive years of higher rates (1981–1983) versus state and comparisons, followed by sustained decline. Regression of pregnancy rates on time since 1980 found significant declining trends in South Carolina, Bamberg County, and Williamsburg County, while Lee and Clarendon showed no significant trends. The sustained reduction for Bamberg County (1981–2000) is attributed to continued presence of the School/Community Program and its sustainability factors: community readiness, funding, staff stability, leadership, planning, policy changes, and theory-based best-practice interventions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design and outcomes

Intervention sustainability factors

Background and prior findings

Methods

Program intervention and objectives

County demographics and comparison criteria

Continuing Education Sustained Reduction in Adolescent Pregnancy Rates Through School and Community-Based Education, 1982–2000 Murray Vincent, J. WanzerDrane, Praphul Joshi, Saikiran Shankarnarayan, and Michelle Nimmons ABSTRACT The resident population of Bamberg County, SC, has been exposed to multiples of public health information and education interventions since October 1982 with the intent to reduce the occurrence of unintended pregnancies among unmarried adolescents. Data analyses were conducted to compare 20 years of pregnancy rates among girls aged 14–17 years for Bamberg County, the original three comparison counties, and the rates for the state of South Carolina from 1981 to 2000. Bamberg County had 3 consecutive years statistically higher than the state and the three comparison counties from 1981 through 1983, but never thereafter. When regressing pregnancy rates on the passage of time since 1980, the state of South Carolina, Bamberg County, and Williamsburg County showed statistically significant declining slopes to their trend lines, whereas Lee and Clarendon Counties did not show any significant trend whatsoever. This data analysis documents the sustained reduction of adolescent pregnancies in Bamberg County among girls aged 14–17 years during the time period from 1981 to 2000, which are most likely attributable to the continued presence of the School/Community Program from October 1982 to the present time. Sustainability of the program is attributed to community readiness for such a program, adequate funding, staff stability, competent leadership, comprehensive program planning, policy changes, and implementation of theory-based “best-practice” interventions. In 1987, Vincent, Clearie, and Schluchter reported the results of the School/Community Program for Sexual Risk Reduction Among Teens (School/Community Program) project conducted in a rural South Carolina county (Vincent et al., 1987). The estimated pregnancy rate (live births plus fetal deaths plus induced abortions) per 1,000 female population for girls aged 14– 17 years in the county’s Western portion had declined remarkably in years 2 and 3 after the intervention began, and the changes were statistically significant when compared with three sociodemographically similar counties and also with the Eastern portion of the county. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded scientists from Research Triangle Institute to conduct a secondary analysis of the School/Community Program. The scientific reassessment reaffirmed the earlier report by verifying that the intervention, and access to contraception, created the reductions in teen pregnancy (Koo, Dunteman, George, Green, & Vincent, 1994) . In this article we report the sustained success of this comprehensive Murray Vincent, EdD, and Praphul Joshi, BDS, MPH, are with the Department of Health Education, Promotion and Behavior atthe University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29208; E-mail: mvincent@ [gwm.sc.edu. J. Wanzer Drane](gwm.sc.edu. J. Wanzer Drane), PhD, is with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Carolina. Saikiran Shankarnarayan is a research associate with the University of South Carolina. Michelle Nimmons is director of the Teen Life Center, PO Box 345, Denmark, SC 29042. 76 American Journal of Health Education—March/April 2004, Volume 35, No. 2 Murray Vincent, J. WanzerDrane, Praphul Joshi, Saikiran Shankarnarayan, and Michelle Nimmons | Table 1. Profiles of Counties Used in the Evaluation of the School/Community Program (1982 and 1998 Residence Data) | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | County | Bamberg | | Clarendon | | Lee | | Williamsburg | | | | 1982 | 1998 | | | 1982 | 1998 | | | | | | | 1982 | 1998 | | | 1982 | 1998 | | Population | 18,796 | 16,658 | 27,928 | 32,502 | 19,154 | 20,119 | 39,456 | 37,217 | | % Non-Whitea | 58 | 63 | 58 | 55 | 62

FAQs

What was the main goal of the School/Community Program for Bamberg County?

Reduce unintended pregnancies over time among never-married teens and preteens by providing public health education and related intervention activities beginning October 1982.

How were pregnancy rates analyzed across the study period?

Pregnancy rates for girls aged 14–17 were compared over 1981–2000 across Bamberg County, three comparison counties, and the state of South Carolina, including regression on time since 1980.

Which counties showed statistically significant trends in pregnancy rates?

South Carolina, Bamberg County, and Williamsburg County showed statistically significant declining slopes, while Lee and Clarendon Counties did not show significant trends.

Oct 15, 2026

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