Limits of the comprehensive services model: the case of adolescent pregnancy programs

During the past 15 to 20 years a comprehensive services model, incorporating health, social, and educational components, has been the preferred mechanism for addressing the problems associated with adolescent pregnancy. This paper offers an assessment of the model based on a study of ten communities in four states. The widely recognized service needs of pregnant teenagers give the model a compelling logic, but we find inherent obstacles that seriously constrain its implementation. These constraints are exacerbated in an era of social welfare cutbacks. We conclude that short-term local service programs, although better than no services at all, are unlikely to meet their objectives.