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

Abstract #118276

Nicole L. Miller, MPH, Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, 212-746-1270, nlm2107@columbia.edu

The U.S. leads all other western developed countries in rates of adolescent pregnancy, abortion, and childbearing. Despite recent declines in adolescent pregnancy rates, approximately 900,000 unmarried adolescents, age 19 or younger become pregnant each year. Although considerable advances in our knowledge of contraceptive practices among adolescents have been made, and despite the widespread availability of new and effective methods, adolescent pregnancy remains a national issue. Unfortunately, African American teenagers are disproportionately represented among teenage parents because many are from backgrounds that are economically, educationally and socially impoverished. Programs designed to encourage disadvantaged African American adolescents to delay sexual initiation or use contraception as a means of countering the "threat" of pregnancy, are likely to be ineffective. Model approaches must incorporate the context of their lives with ecological factors such as environment, lifestyle, culture, and social structure. Adolescent pregnancy prevention programs which address the overall concerns of education, career, social support, and provide alternative activities and goals may be effective in preventing teen pregnancy, thereby addressing and/or eliminating disparities among certain racial/ethnic groups. This paper will identify and outline several recommended elements for culturally and contextually-relevant community-based programs designed to prevent pregnancy in African American girls 12-14 years old. The seven recommended program elements focus on educational aspirations, career/vocational aspirations, self-image and self-esteem, parental support and supervision, social/community support, role models and volunteerism, and survival skills. This paper will also discuss how to incorporate social context along with these key elements into effective pregnancy prevention strategies for African American teenagers.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to (
• identify seven recommended elements for culturally and contextually-relevant community-based pregnancy prevention programs; and (
• discuss how to incorporate social context into effective preventive strategies for African American teenagers.

Keywords: Teen Pregnancy Prevention, African American

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.