Unhappy at school ups teen pregnancy risk

LONDON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Teens who grow up unhappy, poor, do not enjoy school and are despondent about their future are at increased risk of pregnancy, British researchers said.

Lead author Angela Harden of the University of East London said an evaluation of the Young People's Development Program concluded it had failed to reduce teenage pregnancies -- in fact, more women in the in the program got pregnant than in other programs.

Harden said the program failed because it targeted and, as a result, stigmatized "high-risk" young people and ultimately brought them together. The Young People's Development Program kept young people out of mainstream schools and worked with them in alternative educational settings.

The study authors evaluated 10 trials and five qualitative studies that focused on early childhood interventions or youth development programs. Teenage pregnancy rates were almost 40 percent lower in groups that participated in youth programs compared to those who did not.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, said policies aimed at improving how students feel about school combined with high-quality sex education and contraceptive services, are successful in lowering teenage pregnancy rates.