GCU Empowering Adolescents Addressing Teen Pregnancy and Promoting Comprehensive Education Discussion – Description
AnestaAbout 22 of every 1,000 births are born to adolescent mothers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017a). There are many percussors to teenage pregnancy, some of the macrosystem factors are public policies on sex education (such as abstinence-only education versus comprehensive sex education), access to family planning services, and affordability of contraceptives (DiClemente,2001). There are macrolevel factors too, e.g., societal gender, race/ethnicity constructs (DiClemente, 2001). Some other risk factors include exposure to sexual image via media, peer influences, perceived lack of social support, lack of positive aspirations for the future, lack of school connection, lack of parent’s monitoring and disapproval of sex. NJ PREP- Personal Responsibility Education Program NJ PREP is a school- and community-based comprehensive sexual health education program that includes abstinence, contraception, reproductive and sexual health. PREP replicates evidence-based and medically accurate programs proven effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors such as unprotected sex among 10-19-year-old youth for making healthy decisions about their sexual behaviors. They also provide resources for parenting healthy relationships, adolescent development, and parent-child communication skills. The State of New Jersey’s Early Childhood, Parenting and Professional Resource Center: Teen moms and dads this is a state resource available to everyone and it provides holistic care before during and after pregnancy. It provides access to all the resources available to support adolescent parents from pregnancy and beyond. The teen pregnancy rates in my community and the state of New Jersey have decreased to 7.9 (births per 1,000 females 15-19 years of age) for the last 10 years (CDC,2023). Teenage pregnancy is affected by disparities that the CDC is trying effortlessly to eliminate. According to America’s Health Rankings analysis. (2023) the Strategies that have worked over the years are educating the youth delaying sexual intercourse which is a guaranteed method to prevent pregnancy. Promoting dual contraceptive use using condoms along with another method of contraception. Promotion of the use of Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), such as implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs). Federal and state policies supporting access to family planning services and comprehensive risk-reduction sex education in schools.
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