Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs

Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs

Published: Apr 30, 2007
Publisher: Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research

Authors

Barbara Devaney

Ken Fortson

Lisa Quay

Justin Wheeler

Melissa Clark

Key Findings

Key Findings:

  • Programs had no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth.
  • Youth in these programs were no more likely to have unprotected sex.
Since fiscal year 1998, the Title V, Section 510 program has allocated $50 million annually in federal funding for programs that teach abstinence form sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for school-age children. A new impact report from Mathematica’s congressionally mandated multi-year evaluation of four abstinence education programs finds that the programs had no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth. But it also finds that youth in these programs were no more likely to have unprotected sex, a concern that has been raised by some critics of these programs.

Efficiency Meets Impact.
That's Progress Together.

To solve their most pressing challenges, organizations turn to Mathematica for deeply integrated expertise. We bring together subject matter and policy experts, data scientists, methodologists, and technologists who work across topics and sectors to help our partners design, improve, and scale evidence-based solutions.

Work With Us