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UAlbany Expert Travels to Europe to Help Solve U.S. Teen Sexual Health Issues
Risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease seen as higher in U.S. than European counterparts

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 27, 2005) -- Citing the fact that teen birth, abortion, and sexually transmitted infection rates in the United State are the highest among industrialized nations, Advocates for Youth and sexual health experts including UAlbany's Carol Stenger, coordinator for Health Promotion in the University Counseling Center, will take 17-day study tour of the Netherlands, France, and Germany, beginning June 3, 2005.

Advocates for Youth's Director of Education and Outreach, Barbara Huberman, hopes the U.S. will learn from Europe. "Clearly, Europe is doing something right. Despite the recent decline in U.S. teen pregnancy rates, the U.S. has nearly seven times the teen pregnancy rate of the Netherlands, seventy-four times the adolescent gonorrhea rate of France, eight times the teen abortion rate of Germany, and U.S. teens begin having sex earlier than European teens," said Huberman.

Stenger, who has been with the University for 24 years, teaches Human Sexuality for the Department of Counseling Psychology, and has served on the Vice President's Advisory Council on AIDS Prevention.

The seventh annual European Study Tour (EST), sponsored by Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, comprises 25 prominent health professionals, policy makers and educators from throughout the U.S. Tour participants are from California, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Washington, Indiana, Alaska, New York, Virginia, and Texas. Experts will explore how European policy makers, health, welfare and educational agency representatives, faith leaders, parents and media professionals have created social and political change that reduced teen pregnancy and STDs in Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Advocates for Youth is an international, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

Note to editors and producers: For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

 


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