Every May, adolescent health organizations across the U.S. observe National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month with programs and campaigns to promote healthy relationships and decision making for teens. Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs focus on much more than just sexual risk behaviors – also covering healthy relationships, goal setting, decision making skills, and the importance of communicating [...]
Adolescence is a critical period of development where young people are exposed to new experiences, such as dating. Unfortunately, some teens find themselves involved in dating relationships that involve physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse. Teens are often unable to recognize the signs of teen dating violence, or may be reluctant to tell their parents [...]
I’ve often blogged about why teen pregnancy is an important Arizona winnable battle and why it’s a key public health indicator. Having a baby as a teenager impacts the mom, the dad, the baby and the whole community. Teen parents often don’t finish high school which, in turn, reduces their ability to financially take care [...]
Teen pregnancy is a key public health indicator because of the profound negative health outcomes related to a lack of education and economic opportunity. For example, only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma versus approximately 90% of their peers. The disadvantages caused by a teen pregnancy can last a lifetime- and even spill over to [...]
Preventing teen pregnancy could save the United States about $9 Billion per year.Teen mothers face higher rates of preterm birth, and their kids have higher rates of low birth weight, and infant death. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school and remain single parents.They’re more likely to be jailed at some time [...]
To combat teen pregnancy, ADHS uses multiple approaches that best fit with needs of local communities. Our Bureau of Women’s & Children’s Health has implemented teen pregnancy prevention programs since 1997 and currently administers the Abstinence Education Program and Comprehensive Education using lottery dollars and new federal funding authorized through the Affordable Care Act. The federal [...]
