Teen Pregnancy and Parenting

1. Teen Pregnancy and Parenting A Resource for Teachers

2. Why should teen pregnancy matter to teachers? • Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school • Teenage mothers are more likely to live in poverty (Shore, & Shore, 2009)

3. Why should teen pregnancy matter to teachers? • The babies born to teen mothers are more likely than other children to: • be born at a low birth weight, • face health problems and developmental delays, • perform poorly in school, • and experience abuse or neglect • When they are older, these children are more likely to: • drop out of school, • become teen parents themselves, • and experience homelessness, juvenile delinquency, and incarceration (Shore, & Shore, 2009)

4. Pregnancy and parenting mainly affect female teens. You can help serve these adolescents!

5. Who is getting pregnant? • The pregnancy rate among white teens was 47.8 per 1000 girls, while the corresponding rate for minority teens was 77.7 • Hispanic teens in NC have nearly a triple teen pregnancy rate compared to the state’s average. • Why?: Cultural variances, language barriers and differences of opportunity are just a few of the factors that contribute to a high pregnancy rate in Hispanic teens • North Carolina’s underserved rural counties typically saw higher rates of teen pregnancy than urban areas (Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, 2009)

6. ("N.C. teen pregnancy," 2004)

7. Are only low income, minority students who live in rural areas affected by teen pregnancy?

8. Student InterviewStudent is a 14 year old female with an 8 month old baby boy How old was your mother when she had her first child? She was 21 Do you feel supported by parents, community, and school as a teen parent? I am more supported by my family than I am by the community or school. What could we do to give you more support? I know there are quite a few girls who are pregnant or have a kid here and I think it would be good to have a group at school to talk about it

9. Student InterviewStudent is a 14 year old female with an 8 month old baby boy Did you ever think about dropping out of school? I have thought about dropping out because of it but then I start to think about how it would affect my child’s life Was your child born healthy? You could say he was because there was nothing wrong with him but he wasn’t breathing when he was born. The nurses literally had to jump on me because I couldn’t push anymore and he came out all black and blue.

10. Student InterviewStudent is a 14 year old female with an 8 month old baby boy What is the hardest part about being a teen parent? I would say the hardest part about being a teen parent is going through school with everybody talking about you behind your back. When I had homeroom for the first time and we played “two truths and one lie,” I said I had a kid. After I said another truth and a lie, somebody said, “I hope the baby isn’t true.” (Student, 2010)

11. Not all students fall into stereotypical categories. Teen pregnancy can affect all students!!

12. What is affecting adolescent sexual behavior • Community—high unemployment rate, high crime rate, low income • Family—2 vs. 1 parent, level of parents’ education, income • Peers—substance abuse, sexually active friends, grades • Ethnicity—white vs. minority • School success vs. failure • Attachment (or lack thereof)to religious institutions • History of sexual abuse (Kirby, 2001)

13. Teen Pregnancy and Foster Care • As the rate for teen pregnancy declines in the U.S., numbers for girls in the foster-care system have reached epidemic levels. • Nearly half of girls who had spent time in the foster-care system had been pregnant at least once by the time they were 19 years old. • Almost half of the 500,000 kids in foster care had sex for the first time before age 16, compared with 30% of their peers not in foster care. • Foster children are also more likely to have experienced forced sex and less likely to use contraception. (Sullivan, 2009b)

14. How does the U.S measure up?How does NC measure up?

15. United States vs. The World • In 2006 there were 41.9 births for every 1,000 U.S. teens ages 15 to 19--a rate more than three times that of Canada (13.3 per 1,000). (Sullivan, 2009a) • In 2006, the birth rate among American teens aged 15 to 19 was one and a half times greater than in the United Kingdom, which has Europe’s highest teen birth rate • U.S. teen birth rate was seven times greater than in Denmark and Sweden, • and eight times greater than in Japan (Shore, & Shore, 2009)

16. Alarming Statistics!!!Birth, Abortion, and Pregnancy rates by country. Ages 15-19 (Darroch, Singh, & Frost, 2001)

17. North Carolina Statistics • Nearly 70% of North Carolina high school seniors have had sex. Fewer than half of those students used a condom the last time. • More than 19,000 North Carolinians between the ages of 10 and 19 get pregnant each year • North Carolina has the 9th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. • Nearly 30% of teen pregnancies in North Carolina happen to teens who have already had at least one baby. (“Teen pregnancy prevention “, 2009) (“Adolescent pregnancy prevention”, 2009)

18. ("Measuring teen pregnancy," 2010)

19. Teen pregnancy is an issue that needs to be faced by teachers and community members.

20. Good News! • North Carolina’s teen pregnancy rate fell to a 30-year low in 2008 • Teenage girls in North Carolina had 217 fewer babies in 2008 than in 2007. (“Teen pregnancy prevention “, 2009

21. There are 2 main types of sex education available for teens • Abstinence-Only Education • Comprehensive Programs

22. Abstinence-Only Education • Abstinence-only education includes discussions of values, character building, and, in some cases, refusal skills. • Promote abstinence from sex • Do not acknowledge that many teenagers will become sexually active • Do not teach about contraception or condom use • Avoid discussions of abortion • Cites sexually transmitted diseases and HIV as reasons to remain abstinent (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)

23. Comprehensive Programs • Comprehensive programs explore the context for and meanings involved in sex. • Promote abstinence from sex • Acknowledge that many teenagers will become sexually active • Teach about contraception and condom use • Include discussions about contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)

24. What programs does NC have? • Federal law does not require sexuality education in schools (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002) • North Carolina mandates sex and HIV education. • Classes can stress abstinence-only ("Sex/HIV education policy," 2010) • Other classes can teach students about contraception, such as “Teen Living” classes. • These courses are not funded by the state government. (Coulter, 2010)

25. What works? • Abstinence-Only programs delay sexual intercourse in teens but have no affect on use of contraception or condoms • Nearly half the comprehensive programs that have been studied reduced sexual risk in three areas: • delaying the age at which teens first have sex • reducing the number of sexual partners they have • Increasing their use of condoms (Kirby, 2001)

26. The Number of Programs with Effects on Sexual Behavior (Kirby, 2001)

27. The Number of Programs with Effects on Use of Contraception (Kirby, 2001)

28. Statistics show that comprehensive programs reduce sexual risk, but NC only funds abstinence-only programs.

29. Teach Teens Now!!

30. What can the community do to prevent teen pregnancy?

31. Strategies to prevent Teen Pregnancy • Train social workers and foster parents in age-appropriate ways to discuss sex with younger children and teenagers • Teach comprehensive programs in school and not just abstinence-only education • Fund comprehensive programs • The government, community, parents, and teens must work together!!!

32. How Should we support teen parents? • Family-planning services • Access to care givers/day cares • Access to mental health/chemical dependency providers • Chemical dependency services • Check-ups after delivery

33. What can teachers do to support teens who are pregnant or who are parents?

34. Teachers can help pregnant teens. • Be an advocate for comprehensive programs or Teen Living classes at your school. • Teens need adults who care! Show caring and compassion to students. • Encourage teens to be involved in school and create healthy relationships • Connect the student with a social group of pregnant peers. • Provide extra support (tutoring) but do not condone teen pregnancy.

35. Teachers can help teen parents. • After the teen gives birth do not let them fall off the radar. • Their new schedule will be very hectic and scary. Many teens may stop coming to school. • Offer tutoring and other activities around their schedule. • Ask students about their dreams and do not judge them. • Listen!!!!

36. There are resources for teens outside of school. Make them available!

37. Resources for Teens • The BrdsNBz Text Message Line is a new way for teens to get sexual health answers via text message. • BrdsNBz is available to any teen in North Carolina. To use it: ·         Text “NC” to 36263 to opt in. You only need to opt in once. ·Text your question to 36263. ·         You’ll get an auto response and then your personalized answer within 24 hours. (“Adolescent pregnancy prevention”, 2009)

38. When the Cell phone Teaches Sex Education (Hoffman, 2009)

39. Resources for Teens • Web sites also are available for teens to ask questions about sex. These include: • http://teenhealthfx.com • http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/ (Hoffman, 2009)

40. Resources for Teens Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives (TPPI) has two programs available for teens. • The Adolescent Parenting Program (APP) • helps teen parents prevent a second pregnancy, graduate from high school, keep themselves and their babies healthy, and build skills that will help them support themselves and their babies.  • The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (APPP) • prevents teen pregnancy by providing young people with essential education, supporting academic achievement, encouraging parent/teen communication, promoting responsible citizenship, and building self confidence among their participants. (“Teen pregnancy prevention “, 2009)

41. TPPI Across North Carolina Alleghany Currituck Northampton Gates Ashe Surry Stokes Rockingham Camden Person Caswell Warren Vance Pasquotank Hertford Halifax Perquimans Wilkes Watauga Granville Yadkin Forsyth Chowan Avery Bertie Orange Guilford Mitchell Alamance Franklin Nash Durham Caldwell Davie Alexander Edgecombe Yancey Madison Martin Davidson Wake Iredell Washington Tyrrell Dare Burke Randolph Chatham Wilson Catawba McDowell Rowan Buncombe Pitt Haywood Beaufort Johnston Hyde Swain Lincoln Greene Lee Rutherford Cabarrus Harnett Wayne Graham Henderson Moore Jackson Stanly Polk Gaston Cleveland Tran- sylvania Montgomery Lenoir Mecklenburg Craven Macon Cherokee Pamlico Clay Cumberland Richmond Hoke Jones Union Anson Sampson Duplin Carteret Scotland Onslow Adolescent Parenting Program (APP) Robeson Bladen Pender Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (APPP) Columbus New Hanover Brunswick Both APP & APPP (“Teen pregnancy prevention “, 2009)

42. Sources Adolescent pregnancy prevention campaign of North Carolina. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.appcnc.org Collins, C., Alagiri, P., & Summers, T. (2002). Abstinence only vs. comprehensive sex education. Progressive Health Partners, Retrieved from http://ari.ucsf.edu/science/reports/abstinence.pdf Coulter, D. (2010, April 22). Teacher at West Carteret High School. Interview. Darroch, J.E., Singh, S., & Frost, J. J. (2001). Differences in teenage pregnancy rates among five developed countries: The roles of sexual activity and contraceptive use. Family Planning Perspectives, 33(6), 244-281. Gibbs, N. (2010, April 22). The Pill at 50: Sex, freedom, and paradox. Time Magazine, 175(17), Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1983712-2,00.html Hoffman, J. (2009, May 1). When the Cellphone teaches sex education. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/fashion/03sexed.html Kirby, D. (2001). Emerging answers: Research findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Measuring teen pregnancy in Virginia. (2010, February 15). Retrieved from http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/healthFamily/teenPregnancy

43. Sources N.C. teen pregnancy rates continue to drop. (2004, October 20). Retrieved from http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/pressrel/10-19-04a.htm Sex/HIV education policy. (2010, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=567&cat=11 Shore, R., & Shore, B. (2009). Reducing teen birth rate, kids count indicator brief. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED507780 Student (female) Interview.  (2010, April 29).  West Carteret High School.          Interview with author. Sullivan, A. (2009a, March 19). How to Bring an end to the war over sex ed. Time Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886558-3,00.html Sullivan, A. (2009b, July 22). Teen pregnancy: An epidemic in foster care. Time Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1911854,00.html Teen pregnancy prevention initiative. (2009, May 27). Retrieved from http://www.teenpregnancy.ncdhhs.gov

44. Elizabeth Robb April 30, 2010 "This project workis original and I have not submitted it for credit in any other course at ECU or any other higher educationinstitution."  "I am willing tohave this final project work considered for entry into the 6001 Diversity Archives."