2013 Report
Margaret Chapman Pomponio
Camilla Eubanks
WV FREE
TEEN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING IN
WEST VIRGINIA
WHO WE ARE
WV FREE was founded in 1989.
Every year WV FREE distributes thousands of pieces of family planning
educational materials to rape crisis centers, homeless shelters, clinics and
college campuses. We organize comprehensive contraception and
emergency contraception trainings with at-risk youth, incarcerated youth,
high school students, and resident assistants at local universities in every
region in the state. We work to train providers and health educators about
the importance of offering patients comprehensive reproductive health
care. We advocate for policies that promote reproductive health.
WV FREE has been researching and exploring teen attitudes about
pregnancy and sexual health data since 2008. It was not until 2008, when
there was a significant increase of teen pregnancies in West Virginia, that
this statistic became an important catalyst for the work of many
organizations, the media, and the public in West Virginia.
METHODOLOGY
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Spearheaded by WV FREE, collaborative research began
with the Department of Health and Human Resources, West
Virginia Department of Education, the Guttmacher Institute,
Marshall University, West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and
the West Virginia Women’s Commission, to understand and
determine social factors that affect teen pregnancy.
This report is evidence of a concerted effort to understand
teen pregnancy and determine factors that will help uplift
youth in West Virginia.
WV FREE gathers relevant data and statistics from both
national and statewide resources. Due to the collection of
data and reporting, dates contained in this report reflect the
most current information available from the site reference.
WHAT IS HAPPENING GLOBALLY?
2010 US TEEN BIRTH RATE
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In 2010 according to the US
Department of Health and Human
Services Office on Adolescent
Health, West Virginia’s birth rate
dipped slightly in 2010 to 44.8 per
1,000 teenagers 15-19 years of
age. West Virginia was ranked 9
out of 51 states and the District of
Columbia on 2010 final teen births
rates among females aged 15-19
(with 1 representing the highest
rate and 51 representing the
lowest rate)
NATIONAL VS. WV TEEN BIRTH RATE
WHERE IS WEST VIRGINIA?
2010 TEEN BIRTH RATES
2010 Teen Birth Rate (birth per 1,000 Females aged 15-19, 2010)
Total
West Virginia
U.S.
Females aged 15-19
44.8
34.2
Females aged 15-17
21.1
17.3
Females aged 18-19
75.6
58.2
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US?
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS OF WEST VIRGINIA’S
TEEN BIRTH RATE?
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Lower readiness to be a parent and reduced
access to prenatal care
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Lower educational attainment and advanced
educational degrees
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Cycle of Poverty
EDUCATORS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, PARENTS AND
THE COMMUNITY CAN GET INVOLVED!
APPROACHES TO REDUCE TEEN CHILDBEARING IN
WEST VIRGINIA AND SUPPORT TEEN PARENTS?
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Provide comprehensive sexuality education for teen students
Provide Teen Clinics that operate when teens can have access
to them
Provide child care at area high schools
Increase access to contraceptives and reproductive health care
Engage youth through community development programs
Help parents and teachers communicate together
Develop community and recreational activities
Empower youth through civic engagement
WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO DECREASE THE TEEN
CHILDBEARING RATE IN WEST VIRGINIA?
THANK YOU!
Margaret Chapman Pomponio
304-342-9188
margaret@wvfree.org
Camilla Eubanks
304-342-9188
camilla@wvfree.org
PO Box 11042
Charleston, WV 25339
(304) 342-9188
www.wvfree.org