In collaboration with IPA Peru and Kallpa, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure whether sexual education classes and buses providing information and referrals to local health services reduce pregnancy among adolescent girls.

In low-and middle-income countries, pregnancy is a leading cause of girls dropping out of secondary school, particularly for those from indigenous or low-income backgrounds. In Peru, pregnancies increased by 24 percent in 2021 for girls aged 10 to 14.¹ Rural regions such as Ayacucho—which has a large indigenous and low-income population—have one of the country’s highest rates of adolescent pregnancy at 9.49 percent,² and there are few sexual and reproductive health services provided by professionals who speak their language. This creates a significant need for interventions that can deliver quality health information and increase accessibility to services to help reduce the incidence of pregnancy.

With IPA Peru and Kallpa—a sexual and reproductive health organization—researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure whether sexual education classes and buses providing information and referrals to local health services reduce pregnancy among adolescent girls. The intervention is being carried out over two years and involves 120 secondary schools in Ayacucho. The schools have been randomly assigned to the following groups:

• Bus services: Buses visit schools to provide information services to students and young adults in the community. The buses have a psychologist and an obstetrician (a reproductive health doctor) onboard, who provide counseling services that rural areas often lack. This includes educating students about sexual and reproductive health, giving referrals to local health clinics, and promoting healthy practices.
• Bus services and sexual education: Buses visit schools to provide information services. In addition, teachers take a 4-month certificate course on sexual education covering sexual rights, family planning and contraceptive use, the role of sexuality, and preventing sexual violence. After completing the certificate, teachers hold at least four sexual education classes for students in the remainder of the school year.
• Comparison: Schools in this group receive no intervention.

Results will be available in 2025.

Sources

1. UNFPA Peru, “Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood must be made visible to build a better future for girls and adolescents in Peru,” United Nations Population Fund, September 21, 2022, https://peru.unfpa.org/en/news/adolescent-pregnancy-and-motherhood-must-be-made-visible-build-better-future-girls-and#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%20around%2050%2C000%20girls,to%201%2C437%20equivalent%20to%2024%25.
2. Demographic and Family Health Survey (2023)

Implementing Partner

Funding Partner