221802 Racial and Ethnic Disparities of Teen Pregnancy in Hawai`i: 2005-2009

Monday, November 8, 2010

Nandar Aung, MPH/MBA , Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii- Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Eric Hurwitz, PhD , Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Nancy S. Partika, RN, MPH , Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa, HPM Faculty, Honolulu, HI
Problem: Hawai`i ranks 17th highest in teen pregnancy rate nationally. Teen pregnancy has negative consequences on teen mothers, children born by teen mothers and overall wellbeing of society.

Study Purpose: A descriptive analysis of January 2005 through June 2009 HHIC data relating to 7,250 hospital births by teen mothers (<19years) in Hawai`i was carried out to analyze the characteristics of teen mothers and infant birth outcomes. This paper is the second of 4 analyzing labor and delivery data from Hawai`i's birthing hospitals.

Method: Hospital discharge data representing all births in Hawai`i hospitals from January 1, 2005 through June 30, 2009 were linked (mother to baby), extracted, and analyzed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed on selected variables associated with the mother and newborn.

Findings: Teen mothers (<19years) comprised 8.5% of the maternal population over the 4.5-year study period. 50% of the teen mothers were of Hawaiian or Filipino ancestry. The majority of the teen mothers lived in rural areas of the State. 60% of teen births were Medicaid at discharge. Compared to mothers of 20-29 years and 30+ years, teen mothers were more likely to have preterm delivery (odds ratio [OR]=1.28 and 1.26), to test positive for substance abuse (OR=1.02 and 1.36) and to deliver a low birthweight infant (OR=1.40 and 1.14).

Implications: Findings suggest that culturally-sensitive Hawai`i teen pregnancy prevention programs should target Hawaiians and Filipinos, particularly in rural communities. The relationship between teen births, substance abuse and poor pregnancy outcomes needs to be addressed in educational programs.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this presentation, the learner will be able to: 1. Describe the profile of teen births to Hawai`i women from 2005 through June 2009 based on an analysis of Hawai`i Health Information Corporation (HHIC) hospital discharge data. 2. Define the existing disparities of teen pregnancy in Hawai`i among its ethnic minority populations.

Keywords: Teen Pregnancy, Minorities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am working with the Hawaii MCH Research Project team as a student as part of data analysis/research training.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.