Abortion among Adolescents in Israel: Intervention and Health Behavior Outcomes

The current study investigated the post-Abortion health behaviors of adolescents. Authors assessed the association between pre-Abortion interventions and receiving post-Abortion checkups and uptake of effective contraceptives. Participants were 172 adolescents under 19 years of age who were recruited pre-Abortion at 10 hospitals in Israel and followed up by phone one and two months post-Abortion. Results indicate that a quarter of participants did not receive a post-Abortion checkup. The reported reasons for this were mostly personal, with very few cases attributed to accessibility issues. Rates of effective contraceptive use increased from the pre-to post-Abortion periods but were still not high. Longer duration of pre-Abortion counseling with a social worker, having the checkup where the abortion took place, and parental involvement increased the odds of having a post-Abortion checkup. Getting a prescription for oral contraceptive pills at the time of abortion increased the odds of uptake one month post-Abortion. Nonadherence to post-Abortion recommendations is a problem with the potential to cause health risks and more unintended pregnancies. Effective social work interventions to promote behavioral change are needed, especially those based on theory and evidence.