TEENAGE PREGNANCY

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Jennifer Cartwright, Lauren Luckett, Stephanie Olson, Kymberly Otremba, Katherine Patterson

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Kent County will statistically lower the risk of teen pregnancies related to lack of contraceptive education, sexual education, and parental support, by December 31, 2014.

BASIC INFORMATION
Children born to adolescent parents are more likely to face poorer

educational, health and behavioral outcomes throughout their lives. During pregnancy the adolescent parent is more likely than adult women to receive late or no prenatal care, deliver pre-term and deliver the baby having low birth weight (Kent County,2012).
Kent County has different plans into effect to help adolescent

parents receive services that foster healthier pregnancies, improve the health and development of children and encourage self-sufficiency through planning for future pregnancies, continuing education and securing employment (Access Kent,2013).

TEENAGE PREGNANCY STATISTICS: UNITED STATES

Department of Health and Human Services

STATISTICS
United States Statistics of Teen Birth:
Age: 15-19 years old

Percent: 29.4 teen births for every 1000 female adolescent.

In 2012 almost one in five births to 15-19 year olds already had one

or

more babies.

In 2012 Hispanic adolescent females aged 15-19 had the highest

birth rate, 46.3 births per 1000 female adolescent. Followed by African American adolescent females 43.9 births per 1000. Figure one below shows birthrates per 1000 females ages 15-19, by race and ethnicity, years 1990- 2012.

STATISTICS CONTINUED
Michigan Statistics of Teen Birth:
Age: 15-19 years old
Percent: 53.6 teen births for every 1000

adolescent females

Kent County Statistics of Teen

Birth:
Age: 15-19 years old Percent: 61.5 teen births for every
Photo: examiner.co m

1000 adolescent females

In Kent County African American

babies are more likely to die before age one than babies of other race or ethnic group (Kent County, 2013).

ABORTION STATISTICS
Michigans Abortion rate in 2008 was 18.4%, about 7 Percent of

those

were teen abortions (ages 15 -19).

Long term effects from abortion are mental, emotional, and some

physical aspects.
As of May 2013, laws in 38 States require parental consent for an

minor

to have an abortion.
* Michigan is one of them

Department of Health and Human Services

CONSEQUENCES OF ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING Pregnant teenagers are more likely to experience maternal illness,
miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death
Teen mothers are less likely to graduate with their high school

education
This in return will increase their risk for poverty and rely on welfare

Children of these mothers are born at low birth weight

The child can also experience health and developmental problems Are frequently poor, abused and neglected throughout their childhood

Adolescent pregnancy can pose a substantial financial burden on

society
Approximately $10.9 billion annually in lost tax revenues, public assistance,, child

health

care, foster care and involvement with the criminal justice system

CONSEQUENCES CONTINUED
98% of Teen Mothers that have children before age 18 do not

have a

college degree by age 30.

Children born to teen mothers are also more likely to have

negative

futures:

Children born to teen mothers are 9 times more likely to grow up in poverty Twice as likely to suffer from abuse and/or neglect than mother who waited

HEALTH BELIEF MODEL

1. The severity of the potential illness or physical challenge Risks and consequences of premature sexual activity 2. The level of conceivable susceptibility Teenagers 15-19 years old in Kent County 3. The benefits of taking preventive action Decreases unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in teenagers 4. What stands in the way of taking action toward the goal of health promotion? Lack of education and communication (Harkness and DeMarco, 2012)

STRENGTHS OF KENT COUNTY

What does Kent County have to offer teens?
Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan

offers a safer choices project: provides young people (ages 12-18) with the information, skills, and support they need to develop healthy relationships; prevent early, unprotected intercourse and unintended pregnancy, as well as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and increase communication with their parents (Planned Parenthood, 2013).
Sex Education Curriculum in public schools

teachers are certified through the Reproductive Institute which is provided by Kent County Health Department.

STRENGTHS CONTINUED:
Reducing the Risk (RTR):

Designed to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Focuses on delaying or reducing the frequency of intercourse and increasing the use of contraception and condoms. Targets age group 14-18 years old (Access Kent, 2013).

INTERVENTIONS
Sex education:
Needs to be responsible and medically accurate

Start in kindergarten and continue in an age-appropriate manner until high

school

graduation

6.2 percent of students nationwide have reported to having sex before the age of 13 43.8 percent by grade 10

63.1 students where having sex by grade 12 Sex education programs that are balanced and realistic, encourage students

to postpone sex until they are older, and promote safer-sex practices among those who choose to be sexually active, have been effective at delaying first intercourse and increasing use of contraception among sexually active youth (Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2012).

INTERVENTIONS
Easy access to contraception:
This helps reduce the incidence and cost of teen pregnancy
Easy and confidential access to family planning services

through clinics, school-linked health centers, and condom availability programs have been found to help prevent unintended pregnancy (Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2012).

INTERVENTIONS
Pregnancy interventions should also address teenage boys, not

just girls
Teenage boys also have unprotected intercourse which can lead to other risk

behaviors, so sexuality educators and reproductive health care providers should present pregnancy prevention to them as well.

EVALUATION
As a group our desired outcome would be to reduce the rate of

teen pregnancy in Kent County.

We would expect this change to take place within a year,

declining

statistics every year after.

EVALUATION
Interim outcomes we may track
* RTR enrollment
Reducing the risk (RTR) is a health education program designed to

reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.
Use of birth control among teenage girls. Family support and adult involvement.

EVALUATION
Available measures that will allow us to track change
* Tracking enrollment in RTR or other education programs for teen girls * Obtaining statistics of the use of birth control * Statistics proving that the teen pregnancy rate is falling.

REFERENCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). About teen pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm Access Kent (2013). Health Education Programs. Retrieved from: http://www.accesskent.com/Health/HealthPromo/ed_program.htm#rr Access Kent (2013). Nurse Family Partnership. Retrieved from: http://www.accesskent.com/Health/PregnancyParenting/partnership.htm Harkness, G. A. & DeMarco, R. F. (2012). Community and Public Health Nursing Practice: Evidence for Practice. Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia

Kent County 2012 Community Health Improvement Plan(2012). Reduce Disparity in Adequacy of Prenatal Care. Retrieved from: Kentcountychna.org Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan(2013). For Teens. Retrieved from: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/west-northern-michigan/teens-37339.htm

REFERENCES
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2012). Reducing teenage pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/reducing_teenage_pregnancy.pdf U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2013). Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing. Retrieved from: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teenpregnancy/trends.html