Baby Think It over: Evaluation of an Infant Simulation Intervention for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention‪.‬

To alter adolescents' perception of the effort involved in caring for a baby and successfully increase their intent to avoid pregnancy in adolescence, students at a Los Angeles County high school participated in an intervention using a life-size infant simulation doll known as "BabyThink It Over" (BTIO). The participating high school is in one of the 10 poorest cities in the nation (UnitedWay of Greater Los Angeles, 1998-1999) and has been designated one of the adolescent pregnancy "hot spots" in California because of its high rates of adolescent pregnancy (California Department of Health Services, 2001). The intervention places the tangible consequences of pregnancy before adolescent participants rather than offering only the abstract messages about pregnancy risks often presented in other programs. ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY IN THE UNITED STATES