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

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.