Situating Foucault in Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Measures

In spite of declining teen birth rates, teenage pregnancy in USA remains the highest amongst the industrialized nations in the world. There appears to be a correlation between teenage pregnancy and the culture of the teenagers within the African-American population. African American teenagers may be influenced by the cultural norms of their community resulting in a cycle of teenage pregnancies over the generations. It is essential to break this cycle by influencing the behavior and perceptions of the teenagers towards early motherhood and pregnancies. Using empirical data from in-depth interviews conducted with school nurses and school counselors and Foucault's disciplinary strategies, this chapter suggests mentoring as a suitable teenage pregnancy preventive measure which might be effective in guiding and shaping the decisions and choices of African American teenagers in their lives.

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.

Situating Foucault in Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Measures

In spite of declining teen birth rates, teenage pregnancy in USA remains the highest amongst the industrialized nations in the world. There appears to be a correlation between teenage pregnancy and the culture of the teenagers within the African-American population. African American teenagers may be influenced by the cultural norms of their community resulting in a cycle of teenage pregnancies over the generations. It is essential to break this cycle by influencing the behavior and perceptions of the teenagers towards early motherhood and pregnancies. Using empirical data from in-depth interviews conducted with school nurses and school counselors and Foucault's disciplinary strategies, this chapter suggests mentoring as a suitable teenage pregnancy preventive measure which might be effective in guiding and shaping the decisions and choices of African American teenagers in their lives.

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.

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)