At WVU, I also had the opportunity to take a class where I picked one health issue in West Virginia to focus an entire semester of work. I chose teen pregnancy. Below is the fruits of my labor (pun intended) for this assignment. It includes the article, embedded video (filmed and edited by me), and the knight lab timeline.
Five risk factors for teen pregnancy and resources for teen moms in WV
The United States has enjoyed a 51 percent decrease in teen pregnancy rates from 1990 to 2010 according to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit, private organization. In spite of this improvement, the United States still leads other developed countries with the highest teen birth rate. In 2011, The National Campaign reported that there were 31.3 births per 1,000 girls to teens ages 15-19 in the United States. Comparably, the United Kingdom and Canada have rates of 21.8 and 14.1 respectively. West Virginia ranks 38th in the nation (50th being the most pregnancies) with 64 pregnancies per 1,000 girls in 2010 (the most recent data available). There are many factors that can increase the likelihood that teenagers will get pregnant. While you might be able to come up with one or two risk factors for teen pregnancy, there might just be a few that surprise you.
- Poverty
Impoverished teens have a higher chance of becoming pregnant than other teens. In states with a higher rate of children living in poverty, there is most likely a higher rate of pregnancy. Researchers Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine found that having a baby at a young age doesn’t cause poverty – poverty causes teen pregnancy. This in itself is relatively good news. Teen mothers don’t sink into poverty if they are not already there before pregnancy. However, the same study found that teens in poor economic situations are more likely to have children because they don’t see solutions or a way out of their poverty level. Therefore, simply living in a poorer state, like West Virginia, can increase a teen’s risk of pregnancy.
Marissa Bragg was 15 when she found out she was pregnant. She lives in rural West Virginia with her three-year-old son, Liam, and the father of her child, SJ. Bragg credits her pregnancy for being the inspiration to take full responsibility in her life and for pushing her to become a certified nursing assistant, with aspirations of being a registered nurse. For Bragg, becoming pregnant at 15 didn’t destroy her life – it just turned her in a different direction.
2. Inconsistent use of birth control
This is probably not a surprise, but when teens, or any age group, don’t have access to contraceptives or don’t know how to use them correctly, pregnancy rates go up. In the United States, it is estimated that 66 percent of sexually active teens have access to birth control options like pills and male and female condoms. For the other 34 percent however, they run the risk of becoming pregnant from simply not having access.
Also, it might be easy to forget, but accidents happen. For all age groups. Condoms break, birth control pills are forgotten, or another mishap may cause pregnancy at any age, teens or otherwise. Some teenage pregnancies are simply caused by mistakes that could happen to anyone. Keep in mind that typical use of a condom is only successful in preventing pregnancy 85 percent of the time. If a condom is used incorrectly that percentage decreases.
In addition, if teens don’t have the correct education on how to properly use birth control methods, there will be a rise in pregnancy rates. Which brings us to the next point.
3. Abstinence-only education
Teen pregnancy rates are highest in states with abstinence-only education. This is a fact. According to researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, teens who receive comprehensive sex education are 60% less likely to become teen mothers and fathers.
Yet many states like Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas require that teachers stress abstinence-only education. These states also have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy.
In February, President Obama announced his proposed budget for 2017 which would cut funding to an abstinence-only education grant. The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) has been working towards ending abstinence-only education in the United States for many years and applauded his decision. Congress must come to a resolution on the budget in the months ahead. Over the last 25 years, Congress has spent approximately $2 billion on abstinence-only education with no proof of results or changes in teen behavior. While we cannot say that abstinence-only education causes teen pregnancy, it certainly does little to aide the prevention.
4. Parents
Parents have a huge impact on the development of their children. Teens who have a strong attachment to their parents are less likely to become sexually active at a young age and therefore are less likely to become teen mothers or fathers.
In addition, teens who have been raised by both parents are less likely to engage in sexual activity. The National Campaign reported that approximately 22 percent of girls in families with both parents have had sex at least once, whereas 44 percent of girls from broken families will.
Absent parents are another problem. The National Campaign reports that one out of two teens go to their parents for reliable information on birth control. Kids with absent parents don’t have that option. In the absence of a parent, the teen can’t get accurate information and may go to their friends and peers where inaccurate information abounds.
5. Peer Pressure/lack of communication with partner
Peer pressure is a real threat to teens – boys and girls alike. The pressure to fit in and to be popular are felt by teens across the nation.
A study conducted by The American Health Association found that approximately 75 percent of girls say they felt pressure to have sex and did it because their boyfriend wanted them to. Of that group, almost all of them regretted doing so, regardless of whether or not the sexual activity resulted in pregnancy. Once teens are having sex, they might be too embarrassed to communicate with their partner or ask their partner to use contraception or to stop completely. When teens have sex very young, they aren’t always emotionally mature enough to handle those of conversations.
When any woman becomes pregnant, she is faced with an overwhelming number of new health and wellness concerns she didn’t have before. Her own health and the care of her baby can be overwhelming. For a pregnant teen, finding the resources she needs can be an even more daunting task. In states with high poverty and unemployment rates like West Virginia, this might even seem impossible. Fortunately, there are many resources like The Shack, Right from the Start, and Birth to Three that strive to increase the quality of life for low-income or young mothers. Below is an interactive timeline that follows the pregnancy of Rachel, a fictional teen living in north-central West Virginia and the resources she might find to help her along the way.