DQ

Professor’s comments:

Responses such as “I agree”, “thanks for that information – I didn't know that”, “I experienced that also”, etc. will not receive participation credit. Please do not repeat what is already mentioned in the post. Responses should be a minimum of 150 words and minimum of 2 peer reviewed or scholarly sources with 5 years

Please do not to "cut and paste" answers from your references such as lists, bullet points, etc. This will not receive points for responses that are "cut and paste" even if you provide a citation.

POST 1:

Adolescent pregnancy is when a woman under the age of 20 gets pregnant. This usually has to do with teens between ages 15-19, but can also include younger girls. It is also called teen pregnancy (Taylor R., 2020). The following are risk factors to teenage pregnancy: being a victim of sexual abuse, the use of drug and alcohol which can make them lose control of themselves, having sex at a young age, lack of knowledge about sex or the use of contraception, peer pressure, and poor parental supervision (Morin A., 2021)

There are resources within states and communities that are devoted adolescent pregnancy, which are: unplanned pregnancy counseling, local health clinics, adoption agencies for teens and other expectant mothers, maternity homes for pregnant teenagers, and trusted friends and family members (American Adoption, n.d.).

- Local Health Clinics: this is a local clinic that can help teenagers who are pregnant. The clinic can confirm the pregnancy, give advise on options based on how far along the person is, and also, help connect to local hospitals where delivery can take place.

-Maternity Homes for Pregnant Teenagers: these are homes for teenagers who are pregnant. Some teenagers worry that they may be kicked out of the house, and sometimes the adolescent may want to stay away from family, sometimes for safety reasons (American Adoption, n.d.).

Research shows that teen birth rates for Massachusetts is at a historic low. A state survey shows the teen birth rate in Massachusetts for 2013 was the lowest ever seen since record keeping started. The reason being that most adolescents now have the knowledge of contraception and are using them (Patric J., 2019).

References

American Adoption, (n.d). 5 Important Resources for Pregnant Teenagers. https://www.americanadoptions.com/pregnant/resources-for-pregnant-teenagers

Morin A., (2021). Risk Factors for Teen Pregnancy. https:/www.verywellfamily.com/teen-pregnancy-risk-factors-2611269

Patric J., (2019). Teen birth rate in Massachusetts at historic low- state report. https://www.masslive.com/news/2014/12/teen_birth_rate_in_massachuset.html

Taylor R., (2020). Teenager Pregnancy. https://www.webmd.com/baby/teen-pregnancy-medical-risks-and-realities

POST 2:

The future of every nation lies in the hands of the younger generation. teenagers make up 16% of the population. Out of every 1000 births, 22 is born by teenage mothers (CDC), 2017a). Teenage pregnancy is risky because their reproductive system is not yet mature. Teenagers are unable to care for babies, no knowledge of childcare. they are financially unstable. Some predisposing factors for teen pregnancy: Low socioeconomic status, teens from extremely poor home can be easily convinced to sleep with men due to hunger. Bad neighborhood with high incidence of rape. Children from teen parents. Culture- some cultural practice that supports teen marriage. lack of education. Adolescent taking alcohol and drugs. memory issues like imbecile can be sexually abused.

Adolescent pregnancy can result to the following health issues. Vaginal fistula due to immature reproductive organ. infections, anemia. low-birth weight and premature birth. Depression. Uterine rupture while trying to do abortion. Prenatal care delinquency. Death. (CDC, 2017a).

California teen pregnancy rate is said to declined 83% between 1991 and 2019. The public records in 2015 teen pregnancy rate 596. The reasons for the decline, a comprehensive sex education. easy access to birth control. Quality contraception methods. Guaranteed confidential access to birth control. Awareness on social media, television. California Law that allows teens under 18 years access to birth control services or morning-after-pill. The law allows minors 12 years and above to seek treatment for STDs without parental consent. California supreme court rule for teenagers to get abortion without parental consent or notification.

References:

In California, the teen birth rate has hit a record low. How? -CalMatters. https://calmatters.org/health/2019/10/behind-californias-record-low-teen-birth-rate/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. www, cdc. gov. nchs. pressroom. https://wonder.cdc.gov

Falkner, A. (2018). Health assessment, In Grand Canyon University (Eds.). Foundations for effectivepractice.AdolescentAssesment. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs434vn/health-assessment-foundations-for-effective-practice/vl.i/#/chapter/3

POST 3:

Description of Various Risk Factors to Adolescent Pregnancy

The following factors occur as the risk factors that lead to adolescent pregnancy. Notably, the first factor is the family setting that influences teens to early pregnancies in numerous ways. For instance, the lack of parental supervision and positive family interactions is a leading cause of teen pregnancies. Additionally, social interaction with peers predisposes teens to pregnancies. The reason occurs because of the sexual pressures encountered by peers and having dates at such an early age of life (Leftwich & Alves, 2017). Moreover, the community culture contributes to teen pregnancy, especially when health information is unavailable to youths. Nonconforming behaviors such as divorces, school dropouts, and lack of social support make teens vulnerable to early pregnancies.

Community and State Resources Devoted in Adolescent Pregnancy

The available resources include stakeholder education, in which parents and other community members have the role of modeling teens in the right way of conduct. Additionally, the community provides evidence-based programs that prevent teens pregnancies (Dickson et al., 2020). The programs occur efficiently in reducing the risk factors and thus helping evade the problem, developing knowledge about prevention of pregnancy, STIs, and HIV.

The Teen Pregnancy Rates for the Last 10 Years in My State of New Jersey and Community and the reason for the decline

In the last ten years, teen pregnancies have been on the decline in New Jersey state. Notably, the state ranks fifth place among 50 states regarding the decline in teen birth rates. However, the decline in pregnancy levels is at a slower rate compared to other states. One of the youth programs in the state occurs as the NJ PREP - personal responsibility education program. Notably, the youth organization provides for sexual education that involves abstinence, reproductive, and contraceptives. Such a program enables a reduction in sexual behaviors that lead to teen pregnancies (Nj.gov, 2021). Therefore, the decreasing trend in teen pregnancy levels can be attributed to comprehensive sex education taken by the state. Additionally, confidential access to birth control services has led to declining pregnancy cases. The process has been coupled with the pregnancy tests that allow the execution of corresponding actions.

References

Dickson, E., Parshall, M., & Brindis, C. D. (2020). Isolated voices: perspectives of teachers, school nurses, and administrators regarding implementation of sexual health education policy. Journal of School Health, 90(2), 88-98.

Leftwich, H. K., & Alves, M. V. (2017). Adolescent Pregnancy. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 64(2), 381-388.

Nj.gov. (2021). Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP). Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/maternalchild/teens/teen-pregnancy-prevention/

POST 4:

Adolescent Pregnancy is considered a woman age 19 or younger. The risk to both the mother and the baby increase in part because the mother is still developing physically and mentally. Prenatal care is often delayed, High blood pressure & preeclampsia rates increase as well as preterm labor. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death among girls 15-19 years old globally. Nearly 10 percent of teenage mothers deliver a low-birth-weight baby (WHO, 2011).

There are national resources such as adoption.com, plannedparenthood.org, americanpregnancy.org, unplanned pregnancy, and others available to council & support young mothers. In addition there are prevention programs such as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP) aimed at evaluating new ways of preventing pregnancy among teens and ensure that the rates are decreased. The TPP funds are used to implement innovative ways of educating teens & pregnancy prevention (Minnick & Shandler, 2011).

A program available to teens who are already pregnant & facing a pregnancy without much support is Personal Responsibility Education Program. This program aims at educating the teens about their responsibility and how to overcome early pregnancy pitfalls such as school drop out as a teen. Additionally, it educates the teen on the activities they can engage in to avoid idleness and be self-responsible (Minnick & Shandler, 2011). Arkansas has a teen pregnancy rate almost DOUBLE the National average (30 per 1000 females) and the Arkansas Department of Health is the #1 resource for pregnancy testing and prenatal care for teenager in our state.

Despite a national decline in teenage pregnancy rates, Arkansas continues to have one of the highest rates in the USA. More teenagers in the state reported not using any method of contraception (20%) compared to the USA (13.8%). National-level research suggests that misinformation and lack of awareness about contraception is prevalent. Socioecomomic factors contribute to signifigant variability between teen pregnancy rates, with those of poor families, poor education and poor healthcare promotion opportunities being much higher than populations with better means. Arkansas is a very poverished state with much rural area.

Masterson, A. M., Neild, W. P., & Freedman, H. (2021). Relationship between Early Pregnancy and School Dropout among Adolescent Girls in Arkansas, USA. Journal of Education, 4(7), 10-19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.53819/810181025020

Leftwich, H. K., & Alves, M. V. O. (2017). Adolescent Pregnancy. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 64(2), 381-388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2016.11.007

WHO. Preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in developing countries. Geneva: WHO; 2011.

Minnick, D. J., & Shandler, L. (2011). Changing Adolescent Perceptions on Teenage Pregnancy. Children & Schools, 33(4), 241-248. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/33.4.241

Klein, J. D. (2005). Adolescent pregnancy: current trends and issues. Pediatrics, 116(1), 281-286.