274683 Admission to Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities among Pregnant Teens

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Tarah Griep, MPH , Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD
Background: Teenage pregnancy is a serious public health concern that negatively impacts teen mothers and their children.. Teens aged 13 to 19 who become pregnant may also be likely to engage in other risky behaviors, such as substance abuse. The Treatment Episodes Data Set (TEDS) can be used to identify behaviors among pregnant teens in substance abuse treatment facilities. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of pregnant teens entering treatment facilities across the U.S. and identify those subpopulations at greatest risk of entering treatment facilities. Methods: Prevalence and risk factors for substance abuse treatment are explored using TEDS, 2000-2010. Results: Analysis of TEDS 2000-2010 found that the proportion of pregnant teen admissions that were Hispanic increased (15.7 vs. 23.0 percent), while the proportions that were non-Hispanic Black decreased (24.0 vs. 16.0 percent). In 2010, almost one in six (15.7 percent) pregnant teen admissions had at least two prior treatment admissions.. Primary marijuana abuse among pregnant teen admissions more than doubled, from 23.3 percent in 2000 to 55.4 percent in 2010, while primary methamphetamine abuse increased three-fold, from 10.3 to 31.2 percent. Conclusion: Estimates provided by TEDS 2000-2010 enable the public health community to identify racial/ethnic groups who are more likely utilize substance abuse treatment centers, and which groups may face barriers to receiving the necessary care. These estimates have the ability to inform policy by emphasizing a greater need to focus on pregnant women as an at risk population as substance abusers.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
• Understand the implications for substance abuse treatment centers who serve pregnant teens. • Define services received by pregnant teens. • Identify steps policy makers and program providers can take to ensure that substance abuse treatment centers are delivered to pregnant teens.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Substance Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a Public Health Advisor at the SAMHSA I work with TEDS data.
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.