First-Year Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs

The initial findings from a one-year followup of 2,310 students participating in an evaluation of four abstinence-only education programs show that youth who participated in the programs were more supportive of abstinence than those who were not exposed to the programs. The evidence on whether programs raised expectations to abstain is less clear. Although there has been a great deal of speculation, both pro and con, about the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, this offers the most solid empirical evidence to date.