Teen Pregnancy & Obesity: A New Agenda for Change

Overweight and obese high school girls are two to three times as likely to have had sex before the age of 13, about 30% more likely to have had sex with more than three partners in their teen years, almost 20% less likely to use condoms, and more than 30% less likely to use other contraceptive methods. Experiencing a pregnancy as a teen can increase risk for both maternal and child obesity because teen moms are more likely to exceed gestational weight gain recommendations, retain more weight at 24-36 months postpartum, and have a short (<12 months) inter-pregnancy interval. Teen moms are also more likely to give birth to a low birth weight, high birth weight, or pre-term baby all of which are associated with higher risk for obesity in children. And yet, public health professionals in these fields may not be aware of the inter-connectivity of these seemingly disparate issues. Programs may even be working at cross-purposes and inadvertently promoting an unhealthy environment. A review of the most recent literature and a series of key informant interviews of Boston-based public health professionals working in these fields demonstrate the urgent need for addressing these issues together and ensuring that programs are supporting one another across issues. This poster will summarize the current findings on the interconnectivity between teen pregnancy and obesity and propose strategies to inform youth programming. Future directions for additional research are also described.