Combatting Misinformation: Adolescents' Reported Need and Desire for School-Based Education About Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Abstract

Background: Adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), which advertise free reproductive health services but do not provide licensed healthcare or transparency in their practices. Despite the prevalence and harms of attending these clinics, no studies to date have characterized adolescents' baseline understanding and desired knowledge about CPCs.

Methods: We conducted 3 focus groups with a total of 14 adolescents from across Oregon to characterize baseline knowledge about CPCs as well as desired knowledge, including preferred educational activities. Pre- and post- focus group surveys characterized familiarity with CPCs. Focus group transcripts were analyzed for thematic saturation using Atlas.Ti.

Results: Adolescents reported little (n = 7, 50%) to no knowledge (n = 7, 50%) about CPCs at baseline and 100% (n = 14) reported increased knowledge by participating in the focus group. Adolescents emphasized the importance of school and health classes to set the foundation for their perception of accurate medical information. Participants reported a strong desire for more information about CPCs in school for their own self-advocacy and to foster their values clarification when seeking healthcare independently.

Implications for school policy: Schools can and should include information about CPCs in adolescent health classes. Education about CPCs may be incorporated into state and national educational standards about accessing and acquiring health information and local resources.

Conclusions: Education about CPCs in schools is desired by adolescents for self-advocacy and harm prevention.

Keywords: adolescent health services; health education; sex education.

FIGURE 1

Sources of health information desired and currently used by adolescent focus group participants (n = 14).