Engaging Church Leaders in the Reduction of Teen Birth Rate in High-Risk Areas

Involving faith-based organizations in community health promotion has gained widespread interest and has been a successful approach in addressing various health disparities in vulnerable communities. However, there is comparatively little evidence regarding sexual health promotion among faith-based organizations. Some agencies have responded to the challenge of reducing teen pregnancy with broad-based initiatives involving many different sectors of the community including faith-based organizations. Focus groups with key church leaders ( n = 25) from zip codes with identified birth rates of 95 or higher were conducted to explore their perception of teen pregnancy among their communities. Purposive and snowball sampling were utilized. Recruitment was conducted through calls, email, and flyers. This study identified the barriers that church leaders encounter in their efforts to address teen pregnancy in their communities. Common themes that emerged include church education, parent support and communication, cultural barriers, availability of resources, awareness of services, and the need for comprehensive sexual education. Findings and recommendations to help those working in the faith community overcome identified barriers are addressed. Recent decreases in teen birth rates should not lead to complacency; rather they should inspire public health practitioners to do more, especially when some communities have not experienced the same success. Collaborating with faith-based organizations is one method to consider when considering community prevention efforts.

Cultural Differences in Parental Self-Efficacy in Communicating With Teens About Sex: A Pilot Study

Despite the declining national teen birth rates, racial disparities persist. Black and Hispanic teens in some communities continue to experience disproportionately higher teen birth rates. This pilot study explored parental perspectives regarding teen pregnancy and parental self-efficacy in communicating with teens about sex. Seven focus groups were conducted with 35 Black and Hispanic parents who reside in five targeted zip codes with exceptionally high teen birth rates, ranging from 84.2 to 112.9 per 1,000. These rates exceed the 26.5 per 1,000 national teen birth rate by more than 300%. Results reveal cultural differences in parental self-efficacy between Black and Hispanic parents in communicating with teens. Black parents reported higher self-efficacy. Hispanic parents reported cultural beliefs as communication barriers with teens.

Utilizing the Socio-Ecologic Model as a Framework for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy

Despite historic lows in teen birth rates, the U.S. still maintains the highest teen birth rate of any industrialized nation, and significant disparities exist between ethnicities and socioeconomic status (SES). The factors influencing teen birth are vast and intertwined. The socio-ecological model (SEM) provides a natural theoretical framework to study and address these multiple levels of influence, which include individual, interpersonal, institutional/organizational, and public policy. This chapter will include a summary of recent studies, and drawing from empirical findings guided by the socio-ecological model, will identify and suggest strategies at each level for reducing the teen birth rate. By addressing the overlapping layers together, as opposed to a single layer, interventions have greater potential for success.

Spatial modelling and mapping of teen birth rates in Taiwan in the period 1995-2010

Geographical variations in teen birth rates (TBR) still persist despite controlling for contextual factors. The aim of this research was to identify spatial patterns of TBR in Taiwan and to examine spatial relationships among different contextual factors. Using townships as the unit of analysis (N=359), this research used social and demographic variables for the years 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 and conducted spatial modelling of TBR. Geographical maps of TBR were presented, and Local Indicator of Spatial Autocorrelations was used to identify TBR clustering. Comparisons were made between ordinary least-squares models and spatial lag models, in which township-level TBRs were regressed on other township-level contextual characteristics. Our study found that townships with a high TBR were mostly in eastern, central and some southern regions of Taiwan, while townships with a low TBR were in the vicinity of metropolitan areas. The significant spatial lag indicated that townships would have a higher expected prevalence rate if adjacent townships have had higher rates. Results also indicated that the percentage of aborigines and the percentage of college-educated people were consistently associated with TBR over the years. Interventions aimed at reducing TBR in Taiwan should consider the presence of spatial correlations and should incorporate neighbouring townships.

The Effect of Conservative Politics on Sex Education and Teen Birth: A State-by-State Analysis of Abstinence and Contraception-focused Approaches

Researchers and policy makers have looked at many factors that result in high teen birth rates, most notably sex education in public schools. Most often sex education policies fall to the state government, resulting in vast differences in policy across the US. In this study I look at two different approaches to sex education: programs in which abstinence is stressed and programs that include information on contraception. Using the Guttmacher Institute’s evaluation of state sex education laws (2015) and The National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s teen birthrates (2015), I have compiled a data set that allows a state-by-state analysis of sex education policies and teen birthrate outcomes. I have also considered the influence of the state’s political leaning on the variables by coding states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election as conservative. The findings suggest that controlling for sex education, conservative states have higher teen birthrates. While there appears to be a relationship between the type of sex education and teen birthrate, when conservative is controlled for the relationship disappears. Conservative states have higher teen birthrates than liberal states across all racial categories. Additionally, conservative states were more likely to stress abstinence in their sex education than include information on contraception. Finally, stressing abstinence in sex education has no effect on teen birthrates, while including information on contraception only has an effect on reducing the birthrate for Black teens. It appears that conservative politics may be a better indicator of teen birthrates than sex education requirements.

How Much Can Expanding Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives Reduce Teen Birth Rates?

We estimate the degree to which expanding access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) can reduce teen birth rates by analyzing Colorado's Family Planning Initiative, the first large-scale policy intervention to expand access to LARCs in the United States. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the $23M program reduced the teen birth rate in counties with clinics receiving funding by 6.4 percent over 5 years. These effects were concentrated in the second through fifth years of the program and in counties with relatively high poverty rates. State-level synthetic control estimates offer supporting evidence but suffer from a lack of power. (JEL H75, I18, I32, J13)

Increasing Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Equity for Hispanics in Schools

In the United States, the overall teen birth rate has been decreasing. In 1991, the teen birth rate was 61.8 births for every 1,000 teen females, but in 2014, the same overall rate decreased to 24.2 births for every 1,000 teen females. Unfortunately, this decrease has not reflected equally across all the races/ethnic groups. In 2014, the teen birth rate for Hispanics was 38 births per 1,000 teen females. The NASN is aware about the disparities on teen birth among racial/ethnical groups and has released a specific statement about the role of school nurses on the improvement of pregnancy outcomes. This article explains the cultural, linguistic, and educational barriers faced by Hispanic teens with limited English proficiency when preventing pregnancy and describes the development and implementation of a sexual and reproductive health education curriculum. The implications for school nurses will be discussed.