Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116175

Jean Gamble, AA, D.C Deptartment of Health Maternal and Family Health Administration, 825 North Capital St NE 3rd floor, Washington, DC 20002, 202-442- 9352, JEAN.GAMBLE@DC.GOV, Colleen Whitmore, MSN, DC Department of Health, Maternal and Family Health Administration, 825 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20001, and Marilyn Seabrooks, MPA, Maternal and Family Health Administration, DC Department of Health, 825 N. Capitol, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Teen Mothers Take Charge (TMTC), is a community-based prevention and early intervention model program designed to help participants postpone repeat pregnancies and embrace behaviors that support and promote personal responsibility and self-sufficiency. TMTC seeks to engage first time pregnant or parenting teens to take charge of their lives and build self-esteem through participation in various educational and/or training opportunities from a youth development perspective. Program participants are provided supportive services and activities impacting family planning, healthy pregnancies, and increased paternal identification. In the District, publicly funded pregnancy prevention enables women to avoid 3,900 unintended pregnancies each year. TMTC saves $3 in Medicaid costs for prenatal and newborn care. In 2002, teen births cost the District an estimated $3 to $4 million for the cohort of teen births in that year alone. The District spends a fraction of the cost of teen births on prevention. Included in this estimate are the effects of the teen birth on the projected earnings of the mother, father and child and the increased costs of foster care and incarceration of the children of teen mothers. Burden of cost impacts teen mothers reduce their economic and marital prospects; the children of teen mothers are more likely to live in poverty and suffer from lower education levels and higher rates of incarceration; teen fathers who care for their children generally earn lower incomes. These costs lead directly to increased burdens on the state budget. These factors lead to increased burdens on society and the individuals involved.

Learning Objectives:

• To discuss adolescent pregnancies
• To discuss teen parenting
• Strategies to reduce the incidence of repeat pregnancies among teens

Keywords: Access and Services, Adolescent Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.