Comparing outcomes in a statewide program for adolescent mothers with outcomes in a national sample

One-year outcomes for 1,004 participants in a statewide program for pregnant and parenting teenagers were compared with outcomes for 790 adolescent mothers included in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The program group was substantially younger and included more black women and fewer married teenagers than the national sample. Controlling for these and other baseline differences revealed that program participants were significantly more likely than the national sample to be enrolled in school, to be employed and to have avoided a subsequent pregnancy 12 months later. Several baseline variables, including age at first birth, ethnicity, education and living arrangements, were also predictive of one-year outcomes.