Encouraged by declining rates of teen pregnancy and increased interest in abstinence, Pennsylvania's department of health recently launched a "straight talk" campaign
reminding parents to promote teen abstinence. Launched last month in the Johnstown and Philadelphia media markets, the TV campaign boldly asks: "How many times has your kid been
exposed to sex today?" An onscreen counter answers the question by speedily rolling up to 100. The commercial then asks, "How many times have you talked to your kid about sex?"
The onscreen counter counts down to zero.
The campaign's messages underscore that teen abstinence helps prevent pregnancy, AIDS, school dropouts and a host of other social and health problems.
The television effort is part of a bigger program, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, launched last fall, that distributed more than 16,000 booklets to parents.
The "10 Tips" booklet offers pointers on talking to kids about sex and relationships, supervising and monitoring children's behavior, and knowing a child's friends and their
families.
The latest phase of the campaign targets the issue of sexual activity occurring among children before age 12. The campaign is supported by $1.4 million in state funding and
$1.8 million in federal funding. It covers 30 counties and targets the parents of 15,589 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14.
(Pa. Department of Health, 877/PA-HEALTH)