Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy: Community Intervention

Problem:

The Red Springs Community faces serious challenges, including poverty, crime, unemployment, and high dropout rates among their students. The main issue I would like to discuss is teen pregnancy. Despite the decline in babies being born to adolescent mothers nationally, teen pregnancy still remains a problem. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school, less likely to get married, and more likely to depend on welfare than their peers. Teen pregnancy robs teens of their childhood and their futures as productive adults. It also robs their children, and their children's children. Many programs have been implemented to help prevent teen pregnancies. The Department Health and Human Services have implemented Abstinence Education and other programs in schools to promote abstinence from sexual activity until marriage. The problem with this is that too many times parents are not involved in these educational programs. What about the teens that had adolescent mothers as children, it tends to be a vicious cycle. Too many parents and other adults in positions of leadership are unwilling to take a strong stand against teen pregnancy. In some communities it is considered to be the norm. That is why everyone should play a part and get involved in small rural communities to educate and help solve some of the issues involved with teen pregnancy.

Etiology of the problem:

In my opinion the etiology of the problem starts with the home environment. Children live what by what they are taught at an early age. In poor communities such as Red Springs, low level incomes, single-parent families and uneducated parents help contribute to adolescent pregnancies. A study by Berry, Shillington, Peak, & Hohman, (2000) states “at the mezzo level, given the finding that low level of mother's education attainment is a risk factor, it may be advantageous to continue the attempts of educators to include parents, specifically mothers, in school-based programs. Research performed by Noll (2007) states “There are certain time-invariant life circumstances that are thought to predispose some adolescents to pregnancy-risk. For example, various contextual factors have been shown to have a significant relationship to teen pregnancy-risk such as parental separation or divorce, single-parent families, and early exposure to family violence.” She also added that “Poverty and other socioeconomic factors are among the most commonly cited contextual variables associated with teen pregnancy-risk” (p.2). Another problem is that children who are born to adolescent mothers are also at risk for becoming pregnant and dropping out of school. A study by Dahinten, Shapka & Wilms (2007) states “There is considerable evidence that the children of adolescent mothers experience poorer cognitive, academic, and behavioral outcomes during childhood when compared with children born to older mothers” (p.195). Abstinence along with other programs may help with teen pregnancy, but parents and other mentors should be educated to help these young girls form structure in their home environment.

Target for intervention:

Teenage girls in the Red Springs community would be best helped if a community coalition program was set in place allowing parents, students, teachers, school social workers and mentors in the area to come together and educate one another on the issues of teen pregnancy. The proposed program would help target adolescent girls becoming pregnant and dropping out of school. I think this intervention would successfully address the problem due to the fact that parents would be more educated and informed about their teenager’s issues to form a better environment in the home. Teachers could collaborate with parents and the school social workers about any changes that have occurred with the teenagers. Gaining knowledge in any situation always helps with resolving issues faced by a small rural community.

Goal of Intervention:

The goal of the community coalition program is to decrease the number of adolescent mothers in the Red Springs community. The desired end state would be that the parents in the community along with the school staff would be more aware and educated about the issues of teens in this area and there would be a significant drop in adolescent girls getting pregnant after the program is implemented. I will know that the goal is achieved by quarterly reports provided for parents, social workers, school staff, and others to receive feedback from them about the success of the program and for them to provide information about what they have learned through the program. A report one year after the program has been established from the schools in this area will show a 50% decrease in teen pregnancy and dropout rate. This would show that the goal of the program is being achieved.

Intervention:

The intervention I have chosen would be a community coalition program that would be set in Red Springs. It would provide a place for school staff, parents, students, social workers and churches to come together and educate on another on the issue of teen pregnancy in this area. Knowledge is power and that is what the parents and teachers need from one another to control issues that face this community. To keep costs reasonable I would recruit support and know what is available in the area. I would post the event in the Red Springs weekly newspaper, send notes home with students to inform the parents of the event and post flyers and posters throughout the community announcing the date and location. I would ask permission to use the city hall a convenient community site for the event to help further minimize costs. I would ask the local churches to help inform the community and assist with the funding of the material needed. The meeting would be held bi annually to keep the community informed on any changes that need

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