Teen Pregnancy in
Woodbury County
Stephanie Bell Ph.D.
Briar Cliff University
Data
Teen birth rates per 1000 <age 20
2009
2010
State of Iowa
86.9
79.4
2011
70.8
2012
65.5
Johnson
Linn
Polk
Dubuque
Blackhawk
Scott
Woodbury
Pottawatamie
avg. of 8
31.2
61.5
69.9
74.0
72.3
87.0
89.1
85.4
71.3
27.9
54.4
55.0
60.4
62.5
79.1
97.7
98.3
66.9
Source: Urban 8
32.7
77.9
80.9
87.1
89.9
115.0
129.4
115.1
91.0
36.3
68.1
72.5
66.2
100.7
99.0
120.5
113.6
84.6
Possible Reasons
• Graduation Rates
• Income Level
• Sexual Education
• Juvenile Arrests
• Other?
Graduation Rates
• In some communities “It is the social norm to
become sexually active at an early age and not to
make school a priority” (Warren, 2012, p.1)
• Sioux City (87.1%) compared to the state of Iowa
(89.7%) is not particularly concerning
• From 2009-2013 graduation rates in Sioux City
have steadily increased (Urban 8 report).
Income Level
• Woodbury county below the average income of
Iowa
• Cost plays a factor in obtaining contraceptives
(especially long term ones) (Brown, 2010; Eaton,
2011).
• “Poverty is both a cause and consequence of
early and unplanned pregnancy” (Brown, 2010,
p. 12).
Sexual Education
• Common Contraceptive (i.e. pill, condoms)
• Limited knowledge (Brown, 2010; Eaton, 2011)
• Minority girls less likely to be on hormonal birth
control (Schumacher, 2014)
• Less Common Methods (i.e. implants)
• Many teens have never heard of (Brown, 2010)
• If they are aware, have concerns about the
effectiveness and side effects
• Sioux City Schools Sexual Education
• Bishop Heelan
• Abstinence Only A problem? (Stanger-Hall & Hall,
2011)
Juvenile Arrests
• Woodbury has the highest rate of Juvenile
Arrests when compared to the Urban 8
• Higher arrest rates correlated with higher teen
pregnancy rates (more free time)
• Lipman (2012) looked at the effects of Boys and
Girls Club in an Urban area.
Juvenile Arrests per 1000 jv's
2009
State of Iowa
27.4
2010
25.3
2011
24.3
Polk
Johnson
Linn
Scott
Blackhawk
Dubuque
Pottawatamie
Woodbury
avg. of 8
41.0
22.0
24.9
43.8
36.6
26.8
19.4
55.2
33.7
20.3
22.3
24.7
26.7
28.8
33.2
40.0
49.0
30.6
Source: Urban 8
42.6
26.1
27.0
50.3
39.8
27.5
20.5
56.1
36.2
Other possibilities ?????
Teen birth rates per 1000 <age 20
2009
2010
State of Iowa
86.9
79.4
2011
70.8
2012
65.5
Johnson
Linn
Polk
Dubuque
Blackhawk
Scott
Woodbury
Pottawatamie
avg. of 8
31.2
61.5
69.9
74.0
72.3
87.0
89.1
85.4
71.3
27.9
54.4
55.0
60.4
62.5
79.1
97.7
98.3
66.9
Red Text: Increases
32.7
77.9
80.9
87.1
89.9
115.0
129.4
115.1
91.0
36.3
68.1
72.5
66.2
100.7
99.0
120.5
113.6
84.6
Blue Text: Counties with pop > 10,000
References
• Brown, S. (2010). Preventing teen unplanned pregnancy. Policy and
Practice, 11-14.
• Eaton, D. et al. (2011). Youth risk behavior surveillance-United
States-2011. Surveillance Summaries, 61 (4), 1-168.
• Lipman, H. (2012). Boys and girls clubs demonstrate their worth in
cash. The Record. www.NorthJersey.com
• Schumacher, A. (2014) Exploring the influence of body image on
safer sex negotiation and risky sexual behaviors in adolescent
females. University of Iowa College of Public Health.
http://www.iowapha.org/Resources/Documents/3%20Exploring%20
the%20Influence%20of%20Body%20Image%20on%20Safer%20Sex%
20Negotiation%20and%20Risky%20Sexual%20Behaviors%20in%20A
dolescent%20Females.pdf
• Stanger-Hall, K. & Hall, D. (2011). Abstinence-only education and
teen pregnancy rates: why we need comprehensive sex education in
the U.S. PLOS One, 6 (10), 1-9.
• Warren, B. (2012). Shelby County teems lead state in dropout rate,
pregnancy, poverty. The Commercial Appeal.