TEEN
PREGNANCY
Health promotion, prevention and risk reduction.
OBJECTIVES:
Back ground information on population of focus
in teen pregnancy.
 Literature reviewed information gathered.
 Demographic data specific to teen pregnancy.
 Bias towards the population.
 Health-risk factors, environmental risk factors,
and statistics.
 Health promotion theory- Health Belief Model.
 Healthy people 2020.
 Teen Pregnancy Poster.

BACKGROUND- TEEN PREGNANCY
Definition: Pregnancy by a female, age 13 to 19,
which is understood to occur in a girl who hasn’t
completed her core education—secondary
school—has few or no marketable skills, is
financially dependent upon her parents and/or
continues to live at home and is mentally
immature (Segen's Medical Dictionary).
 Population we focused on: Teens between 15 to
18 years old.
 Despite significant declines over the past 2
decades, the United States continues to have teen
birth rates that are significantly higher than
other industrialized nations (Upadhya, Breuner
& Trent, 2012).

LITERATURE REVIEW:
Contraception
Half of unintended pregnancies result from a
contraceptive failure secondary to incorrect or
inconsistent use or method failure; the other half
results from nonuse of any method. Undesired
pregnancy is a preventable health problem, and use
of contraception is a preventive health measure.
Improved access and education for women of
reproductive age may improve contraception uptake
and continued use.
1)Combined hormonal methods= combined oral
contraceptive (COC) pills, the transdermal patch,
and the vaginal ring.
2)Progestin-only methods= 4 types : oral
contraceptive pills, injectables (depot), subdermal
implants, and the progestin-containing
intrauterine device (IUD).
3)LARC methods= 3 LARC methods: the
levonorgestrel IUD, subdermal implants, and the
nonhormonal copper IUD.
4)Barrier methods= Several barrier methods are
available, including condoms, vaginal sponges,
diaphragms, and cervical caps. All work by
preventing the access of sperm to the cervix.
4)Coitus interruptus= “Withdrawal technique” is
frequently not regarded as a contraceptive
method. 27% of women using this technique will
become pregnant within 1 year. Rarely,
recommended as a contraceptive choice
(Woodhams & Gillam, 2012).
Emergency contraception.
Emergency contraception is the only
contraceptive method designed to prevent
pregnancy after intercourse. Indications for use
of emergency contraception include sexual
assault, unprotected vaginal sexual intercourse,
and contraceptive failures. None of the
emergency-contraception methods will protect
from STIs.
Use of emergency contraception can reduce
the risk of pregnancy if used up to 120 hours
after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive
failure and is most effective if used in the first
24 hours. Adolescents younger than 17 years
must obtain a prescription from a physician to
access.
Data from the most recent 2006–2008
National Survey of Family Growth indicate that
14% of sexually experienced adolescent girls
have ever used emergency contraception. The
most common reason for emergency
contraception use by teenagers was condom
failure (Upadhya, Breuner & Trent, 2012).
Annual summary of vital
statistics: 2010–2011.
The teenage (ages 15–19 years) birth rate
decreased by 8% from 2010 to 2011 and
reached another historic low for the United
States, 31.3 births per 1000 women.
Overall, the teenage birth rate fell by 49%
from 1991 through 2011(Hamilton, Hoyert,
Martin, Strobino & Guyer, 2013).
CULTURAL DESCRIPTORS
-African Americans typically have 126 teen girls
become pregnant in every 1,000 girls.
-Hispanic have 127 teen girls that become pregnant
in every 1000 girls.
-Non-Hispanic whites average 44 pregnancies per
1,000 girls.

While it may seem a broad generalization to point
out that race can affect teen pregnancy, it is truly a
combination of culture, race and support system
that can put a teen at risk for pregnancy (Ireland,
2011).
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA:
United States
32.2% Girls 15-17, 2008
67.8% Girls 18-19, 2008
Michigan
31.8% Girls 15-17, 2008
68.2% Girls 18-19, 2008
(The National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy, 2011)
Teen mothers and fathers do not finish their high
school educations or move onto higher education.
The teens
are
irresponsible.
Possible
Bias
The mother is considered
vulgar names such as
(slut, whore).
Teen parents
originate from
low poverty
families.
The teen father will
not be apart of the
child’s life.
HEALTH-RISK FACTORS

Health-Risk factors:
Drug and alcohol use, Lack of knowledge about sex or contraception,
Lack of goals for the future, Low self-esteem, Poor school performance,
Having sex at a young age, Being the victim of sexual abuse, Negative
attitude towards using contraception, and Ambivalence about having a
child (Rudlin, 2011).
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
 Social Risk Factors:
Pressure from peers to have sex, Dating at an early age, Dating older
guys, Friends who are sexually active, and Poor peer relationships
(Rudlin, 2011).
 Family Risk Factors:
Poor parental supervision, Limited communication between parents
and teen, Negative family interactions, Single-parent families,
Significant unresolved conflict between family members, Family
history of teenage pregnancies (Rudlin, 2011).
 Other Factors:
Poverty is more, teaching sex education, access to contraception, and
foster care system (Ireland, 2011).
MORE STATISTICS:
Teen girls who drink or smoke at a young age are 80
percent more likely to have sex at an early age than teen
girls who do not, and teen boys are 40 percent more
likely(Alcohol and teen pregnancy, 2009) .
More than a third of teens who are sexually active
report that alcohol or drugs have been a factor in their
sexual activities (Alcohol and teen pregnancy, 2009).
About a quarter of sexually active teens used alcohol or
drugs before their most recent sexual encounter(Alcohol
and teen pregnancy, 2009).
According to data from the National Survey of Family
Growth, women younger than 19 years were at
particular risk for unintended pregnancy, with 80% of
teenaged women describing their pregnancy as
unintended ((Woodhams & Gillam, 2012).
HEALTH PROMOTION THEORY:
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL



Theory: Health Belief Model by Hochbaum, Kegeles,
Leventhal, and Rosenstock (social psychologists).
"This theory is based on individual's ideas about and
appraisal of perceived benefits compared to the perceived
barriers and costs of taking a health action" (Maville &
Huerta, 2012).
People will engage in preventative healthy behavior based
on:
-persons perceived susceptibility to health threat
-how serious the person perceives the health threat to be
Examples:
1. A teen girl does not think she will become pregnant because no
one in her family has become pregnant as a teen.
2. A teen girl takes birth control pills to prevent pregnancy because
her mother was a teen parent.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020



FP-11.1: Increase the proportion of sexually active females aged 15
to 19 years who use a condom and hormonal or intrauterine
contraception at first intercourse
-Baseline:14.0 percent of sexually active females aged 15 to 19 years used a
condom and hormonal or intrauterine contraception at first
intercourse, as reported in 2006–10
-Target: 15.4 percent
FP-12.3: Increase the proportion of female adolescents who
received formal instruction on birth control methods before they
were 18 years old
-Baseline: 70.5 percent of females received formal instruction on birth
control methods before they were 18 years old, as reported in
2006–10
-Target: 77.6 percent
FP-8.1: Reduce pregnancies among adolescent females aged 15 to 17
years
-Baseline: 40.2 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged 15 to 17 years occurred
in 2005
-Target: 36.2 pregnancies per 1,000
(Healthy people 2020 objectives- family planning, 2012)
CONCLUSION:






While percentage of teen pregnancy continues to
decline, it is still significantly higher than other
nations
A general lack of knowledge and use of contraception is
likely to contribute to teen pregnancy
Teen mothers face biases such as lack of education and
have a low income environment
Many factors such as peer pressure, lack of knowledge
about sex, substance abuse, and poor supervision can
contribute to teenage pregnancy
Underage use of drugs significantly increases the
likelihood of teenage pregnancy
Using the Health Belief Model, it can be concluded that
teenage females may not perceive the risk of becoming
pregnant from unsafe sex
Do you want to prevent an
Unplanned Pregnancy?!
Teens
*Fever then 2% of teens who have a baby
before the age of 18 do not attain a college
degree until the age of 30.
*3 out of 10 women become pregnant before
the age of 20. That is 750,000 every year!
* 80% of teen fathers do not end up marrying
the mother.
*Teens that DO NOT use contraceptives have
a 90% chance of getting pregnant within a
year.
*Teen parents are likely to be involved in
domestic violence.
What about the Children…
*They have poorer physical
and mental health outcomes.
-Example: low birth weight
*Daughters of teen mothers
are 22% more likely to
become teen mothers
themselves than their peers.
*Sons of teen mothers are
13% more likely to end up
in prison than their peers.
*More likely to be raised in
poverty.
Want to know more or need resources, Visit
www.thenationalcampaign.org for more information!
SO.. What can YOU do?!
-Wait to have sex.
-Use contraceptives such as oral contraceptives or
condoms.
-Learn to say “NO”.
-Don’t give into peer pressure!
-Find something fun, like a sport, to
occupy your time!
Things
to
HAVE:
References
Alcohol and teen pregnancy. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.teenalcoholabuse.us/content/alcohol-and-teenpregnancy.html
Hamilton, B. E., Hoyert, D. L., Martin, J. A., Strobino, D. M., & Guyer, B. (2013). Annual summary of vital
statistics: 2010–2011. (131 ed., Vol. 3, pp. 548-58). Pediatrics. Retrieved from
http://0pediatrics.aappublications.org.libcat.ferris.edu/content/131/3/548.full
Healthy people 2020 objectives- family planning. (2012, April 10). Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople
.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/objectiveslist.aspx?
Ireland, J. (2011, March 7). Factors affecting early teenage pregnancy. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/163803-factors-affecting-early-teenage-pregnancy/.
Maville, J. A. & Huerta, C. G. (2012.) Health promotion in nursing, (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY:
Delmar.
Rudlin, K. (2011, October 22). Teen pregnancy risk factors. Retrieved from http://parentingteens.about.com
/od/teenpregnancy/a/Teen-Pregnancy-Risk-Factors.htm
Segen's Medical Dictionary. (2012 ). Retrieved from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/
Teenage+Pregnancy.
The National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/state-data/state-comparisions.asp?id=3&sID=45
Upadhya, K. K., Breuner, C. C., & Trent, M. E. (2012). Emergency contraception. (130 ed., Vol. 6, pp.
1174-1182).
Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://0-pediatrics.aappublications.org.libcat.ferris.
edu/content/130/6/1174.full
Woodhams, E., & Gillam, M. (2012). Contraception. In Annals of Internal Medicine. Retrieved from
http://0- web.ebscohost.com.libcat.ferris.edu/ehost/detail?sid=96a7b524-18fe-4f27-886c02dec2796499@sessionmgr198&vid=5&hid=108