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

Abstract #117606

Pat W. Mosena, PhD, Director, Subsequent Pregnancy Project, 5646 S. Kimbark, Chicago, IL 60637, 773-288-1682, mosena@aol.com, Holly S. Ruch-Ross, ScD, Research & Evaluation Consultant, Subsequent Pregnancy Project, 9345 Avers Ave, Evanston, IL 60203, and Suzanne G. McLone, MPH, Research Associate, Subsequent Pregnancy Project, 1660 N. LaSalle #1501, Chicago, IL 60614.

Over the past ten years, 1994-2004, 3000 first-time adolescent mothers have participated in the Illinois Subsequent Pregnancy Program (ISPP) with consistent outcomes over time and across diverse populations of adolescents. Only 3% of these young mothers had a second pregnancy and 85% remained in school while participating in the program. The ISPP Model provides intensive reproductive health training through group meetings and on-going individual support by a home visitor. Second year participants are trained to work in their own communities, and each year, ISPP Peer Educators reach over 1,000 other adolescents with prevention messages. The current analysis examines retention among ISPP participants during 2003-04 (N=325), and compares young mothers who exited the program (30%) to those who completed a full year of program activity (70%). Young mothers who exited early tended to be: older (17.3 vs. 16.8 years, p<0.01), second year participants (p<0.001), Mexican American (p<0.01), and to have received home visiting services only (p<0.01). Those who remained in the program until year-end were more likely to have exposure to the full program model, home visiting plus group meetings (p<0.01), and be African American (p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analyses yielded a final model in which being African American (OR=0.42, 95% CI 0.23, 0.75), being a new participant (OR=0.29, 95% CI 0.16, 0.52) and receiving the full program model of services (OR=0.33, 95% CI 0.18, 0.59) predicted program retention. Implications of these findings for adaptation and replication of the ISPP Model and for future research on adolescent service delivery are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• To discuss factors which contribute to the successful retention of participants in the Subsequent Pregnancy Program, a program to delay second pregnancies among diverse groups of adolescent mothers.
• To identify differences at program entry which may predict those participants who might be in need of more intensive intervention in order to successfully complete the program.
• To recognize factors which might impede the success, i.e. program retention, of community-based program models for inner-city adolescents.

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.

Recorded presentation