Teenage Pregnancy in Minority Populations

Teenage pregnancy affects African Americans, Hispanics, and American Islander/Alaska Natives more than non-Hispanic Whites.  Compared to the 19% of non-Hispanic white teenage girls under the age of 20 who will become pregnant, Hispanic, African American, and Native American teenage girls are more likely to become pregnant at least once before age 20, and Asian American teenage girls are least likely to become pregnant compared to all other racial and ethnic groups (The National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy, 2010).

 Statistics

Hispanic/Mexican American

• In 2009, the birth rate among Hispanic teenage girls between ages 15-19 was 70.1 per 1,000.
• In 2011, 41% of Hispanic high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse
• 52% of Hispanic teenage girls under the age of 20 will become pregnant at least once.

African American

• In 2009, the birth rate among African American teenage girls between ages 15-19 was 59 per 1,000.
• In 2011, 34.7% of African American high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse
• 50% of African American teenage girls under the age of 20 will become pregnant at least once.

American Indian/Alaska Native

• In 2009, the birth rate among American Indian/Alaska Native teenage girls between ages 15-19 was 55.5 per 1.000.
• In 2011, 33.8% of American Indian/Alaska Native high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse

Asian American/Pacific Islander

• In 2009, the birth rate among Asian American/Pacific Islander teenage girls between ages 15-19 was 14.6 per 1,000.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011a, CDC 2011b)

 

Why do these health disparities exist?

According to the National Conference of State Legislation (NCSL), race, ethnicities, and socioeconomic disadvantages play a role in the wide variation between racial groups in teenage pregnancy rates (2009).  “The social and economic costs of teen pregnancy and childbearing are often high, and these costs can be both immediate and long term for parents and their children” (CDC, 2011a, para 2).  Teenage pregnancy has detrimental adverse effects on both teenage parents and the child. “Teen mothers and their children have less education, are more likely to be in poor health, and are more likely to rely on public assistance” (NCSL, 2009, para 4).

Possible Solutions

Focusing pregnancy prevention on these priority populations can allow policymakers to effectively address teenage pregnancy and problems branching from it (NCSL, 2009).  Improving the lives of adolescents who are affected by health disparities can reduce teenage pregnancy rates in the United States can be achieved.  According to the CDC, “teen pregnancy prevention is of paramount importance to the health and quality of life of young people and communities throughout the United States” (2011, para 5).  There is no single remedy or program that will prevent teenage pregnancy, and there is no one solution or program that can prevent teenage pregnancy effectively for diverse groups (NCSL, 2009).  Teenage pregnancy prevention programs that are culturally sensitive is crucial in successfully developing and implementing prevention programs.

A significant reduction in teenage pregnancy and birth rates will improve the health of American teens, and also will reduce both their and their children’s reliance on publicly funded programs, thus lessening long-term health expenditures.  This will help improve the quality of life of all American Teens (NCSL, 2009, pp 5).

Community Organization

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) has developed the San Antonio Sex Education Program (SEP), UT Teen Health. The SEP has expanded from middle school into high schools on the south side of Bexar County, and the targeted population is predominately Hispanics. SEP provides communitywide, medically accurate, evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs, and creates and enhances linkages between the SEP and community-based clinical services.  Implementing culturally appropriate, evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs with high school students and providing training and technical assistance to community-based clinical service provides to build organizational sustainability are major activities of the SEP.  UT Teen Health educators provide health education programming within the San Antonio community to empower teens.

For more information about the SEP, visit http://www.utteenhealth.org/index.asp

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011a). Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/teen-preg.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011b). Youth Online: High School YRBS. Retrieved from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Results.aspx?TT=&OUT=&SID=HS&QID=&LID=XX&YID=&LID2=&YID2=&COL=&ROW1=&ROW2=&HT=&LCT=&FS=&FR=&FG=&FSL=&FRL=&FGL=&PV=&TST=&C1=&C2=&QP=&DP=&VA=&CS=&SYID=&EYID=&SC=&SO=

National Conference of State Legislation. (2009). Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Making a Difference for At-Risk Populations. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/documents/health/teenpregnancy09.pdf

The National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy. (2010). Policy Brief: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/Briefly_PolicyBrief_RacialEthnicDisparities.pdf