Educating adolescents on the dangers of premature childbearing and drug use: A focus on prevention

This article addresses the prevention of two social problems—premature parenthood and drug use among adolescents. A review of the salient literature on these problems as well as the literature on prevention suggests that a generic response is called for. Theories and perspectives such as social learning, cognitive behavioral, and ecological approaches, and knowledge of adolescent development are drawn upon to guide preventive efforts.