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Free birth control cuts teen pregnancy, abortions

By WTOP Staff

MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Chief Medical Writer

Giving teens free birth control encourages them to use long-acting methods and greatly cuts the chances they will become pregnant or have an abortion, a new study finds.

The average annual pregnancy rate was 34 per 1,000 girls in the study — far below the national average of 158.5 for sexually active teens.

Doctors say the results show that when money is not a factor, teens will chose IUDs and hormone implants over less reliable methods such as birth control pills or condoms. Nearly three-fourths of teens in the study picked long-acting methods; only 5 percent of U.S. teens use those now.

“When costs are removed, young people and families will use these effective methods,” said Dr. Mary Ott of Indiana University. She had no role in the study but led an American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy statement earlier this week urging long-acting contraception, a stance other doctor groups endorse.

She said the study shows that more can be done to curb teen pregnancy. “It’s good for the teens and it’s cost-effective for society” to offer free, effective birth control, Ott said.

One study participant, Marlice House, 25, of St. Louis, said she got an IUD in 2008 as a teen in the project after having tried two less reliable methods.

“I wanted to go to college and I didn’t want to have a child at an early age,” she said.

The study was led by Gina Secura and Dr. Jeffrey Peipert of Washington University in St. Louis. Results are in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Paying for birth control, especially IUDs, or intrauterine devices, has long been a contentious issue. In June, the Supreme Court sided with the company Hobby Lobby and said that employers with religious objections could opt out of a federal rule requiring insurers to cover contraceptives. The Obama administration has been looking at other ways to increase access to birth control.

The study involved a project in St. Louis that offered 1,400 girls their choice of methods but stressed the benefits of IUDs and hormone implants that last three to 10 years. The girls were at high risk of unintended pregnancy — nearly 500 were just 14 to 17 when they enrolled, and half of those young teens had already been pregnant and 18 percent had had an abortion.

During follow-up between 2008 and 2013, the average annual birth rate was 19.4 per 1,000 teens in the study, versus 94 for sexually active teens in the general population. The comparable abortion rates were 9.7 versus 41.5.

Of the 56 pregnancies that occurred during the study, teens reported using no birth control at the time of conception in 25 cases. Only two with IUDs became pregnant. Thirteen said they had been using birth control pills and nine reported using condoms. Other methods accounted for the rest.

Researchers relied on teens to report pregnancies in surveys throughout the study, so some may have been missed. National teen pregnancy rates have been falling, but even so, the differences seen in the study “are substantial and of public health importance,” the authors wrote.

The project was sponsored by the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and others. Two authors have financial ties to companies that make contraceptives.

The project also included about 7,500 older women. Similar results — lower pregnancy, birth and abortion rates — for the group as a whole were reported two years ago.

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Online:

Study: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1400506

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Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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