The Children's Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (CAS-Carrera)
Solution types
Mentoring
Psychoeducation
Problems addressed
Teenage pregnancy
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Children (4 to 13 years)
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Education establishment
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a program to prevent pregnancy and other risky behaviors in adolescence. The program seeks to help adolescent girls break the cycle of poverty that affects multiple aspects of their development.
Adopting a holistic approach, it starts working with girls in elementary school (at age 10 or 11) and follows them through to completion of secondary school and admission to university.
The intervention includes educational components, support to access employment, sex education, family planning, medical and dental services, mental health services, promotion of self-expression through art, and individual sports practice.

Impact evaluations

An experimental impact evaluation showed that program participants had significantly lower chances of early onset of sexual activity (0.5) and pregnancy (0.3) compared to a control group that did not access the program [1].
Participants were also significantly more likely to report using condoms or hormonal methods of pregnancy prevention in their last intercourse (2.4). The program did not generate significant improvements in the sexual or reproductive behaviors of males [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Philliber, S., Kaye, J. W., Herrling, S. & West, E. (2002). Preventing Pregnancy and Improving Health Care Access among Teenagers: An Evaluation of the Children's Aid Society-Carrera Program. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34(5), 244. https://doi.org/10.2307/3097823

Information source