| Teen pregnancy has become a highly salient issue on the U.S. national policy agenda over the past 40 years. In light of significant federal investments to address teen pregnancy, it is critical to understand how policy efforts are aligned with the existing evidence, and to examine how that evidence is utilized by multiple stakeholders during the policy process. Employing a qualitative content analysis of legislative documents, this dissertation analyzes the use of research during three policy episodes.;This dissertation documents the social construction of teen pregnancy as an "epidemic" during the 1970s and the use of research in the consideration and passage of the Adolescent Health Services and Pregnancy Prevention and Care Act of 1978---the first federal teen pregnancy policy effort. It then explores the connection between welfare reform and teen pregnancy, particularly the use of research during the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. Finally, it reveals a marked shift toward evidence-based policy in 2010 with the establishment of a new federal teen pregnancy prevention program, funded through both federal appropriations and health care reform legislation.;Findings reveal significant use of research during these policy episodes; research was more often used symbolically to argue for policies that legislators wished to promote, rather than instrumentally or conceptually in order to craft or guide specific policy provisions. Research that did not support the conventional wisdom regarding teen pregnancy was either omitted or cited selectively. Findings suggest that the use of research may be increasing through policies requiring the use of evidence-based strategies to prevent teen pregnancy. Implications for policymakers, advocates, and researchers are discussed. |
