Objective: To describe the geographic distribution of social-environmental characteristics in areas of high teen pregnancy and to identify predictors of core, intermediate and peripheral areas of adolescent pregnancy.
Methods: Using 1996-1998 health department birth records, census tracts of a metropolitan county were categorized based on the teen pregnancy rate into core, intermediate, and peripheral areas. Rates of 12 variables with potential influence on adolescent pregnancy were race, median rent, education, poverty <18, child in need of services, employment status(1990 Census), and domestic violence, juvenile arrest, rape, robbery, narcotics, vandalism (1997 reported crime). Because data were skewed, variables were log transformed. Ordered Logistic Regression tested the independent effect of each socio-environmental variable on core, intermediate and peripheral areas.
Results: There were 40824 (1996-1998) in the 199 census tracts of the county; 3999 were births to teen mothers. Half the burden of teen births (594/1333) were in 25% of tracts. There is a striking and consistent trend in rates of the independent variables from core to peripheral areas. After controlling for all the variables in the model, domestic violence (AOR=3.1), juvenile arrest (AOR=3.1), no HS diploma (AOR=11.9), and Af-Am (AOR=1.6) were significantly associated with the marginal change of moving from one area to the next.
Conclusion: Two markers from 1990 are associated with areas of high teen births 6-8 years later. Concurrent markers of areas of high interpersonal violence and teen arrests are also associated with high areas of teen births.
Learning Objectives: To understand the social enviromental factors associated with core areas of teen births
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Environment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.