To address the specific need for a better understanding of adolescents’ motivation to prevent pregnancy, Child Trends begun a study, funded by the Office of Population Affairs, that combined qualitative methods (e.g., focus groups and concept mapping groups) with traditional survey and quantitative methodologies. The goal of this endeavor was to use information obtained from youth directly to develop a framework that outlines the various aspects of adolescents’ lives: that motivate teens to prevent pregnancy. The framework was used to develop a set of survey items appropriate for demographic and fertility surveys, measuring aspects central to the decision- making process of youth risk-taking behavior.