TV and Teen Pregnancy Link
Reported November 01, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — The type of TV shows a teen watches may increase the likelihood that he or she will subsequently be involved in a pregnancy.
According to a new RAND corporation study, adolescents who were exposed to a lot of television shows that contained sexual content were twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years than adolescents who watched few shows with sexual content. This study is the first to link exposure to sexual content on TV to either pregnancy in girls or responsibility for pregnancy in boys.
The RAND study was based on a national survey of 2,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. All participants were asked questions about their TV viewing habits and sexual behavior. Researchers say the exposure to sex on TV may influence pregnancy by creating the perception that there is little risk to engaging in sex without using contraceptives.
The amount of sexual content on television has doubled in recent years, and there is little representation of safer sex practices in those portrayals, study author Anita Chandra, behavioral scientist at RAND, was quoted as saying. While some progress has been made, teenagers who watch television are still going to find little information about the consequences of unprotected sexual practices among the many portrayals promoting sex.
Researchers found several other factors aside from TV viewing habits that may influence teen pregnancy such as whether or not a teen lived in a two-parent household and the teens behavior and disciplinary history.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, November 2008
