health promotion plan

Health Promotion Plan

Jane Doe

Capella University

NURS-FPX4060: Practicing in the Community to Improve Population Health

Professor John Doe

October 2021

Introduction to Community Health Concern

Teen pregnancy, defined as pregnancy occurring before the parent is twenty years old,

can result in reduced health outcomes for both mothers and their babies compared to pregnancies

occurring in adulthood. Babies born to teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely, have

low birth weight, and die before the age of one (Healthy People 2030, n.d). Mothers who

experience pregnancy as teenagers are also at risk of health complications. Teen parents, and

teen mothers especially, are also less likely to get the same educational and professional

opportunities, resulting in lower socioeconomic status (Van Lieshout et al., 2020).

The underlying assumption in studies of teen pregnancy is that the age of the mother is

the primary driver for health disparities among babies born to teen mothers. However, a recent

study indicated that children born to teen mothers were no less healthy than their peers born to

adult parents. Disparities instead may be due to being born into a household with lower social

and economic capital or receiving less health care (Basu and Gorry, 2021). The causes of higher

rates of negative health outcomes for children born to teen mothers is a point of uncertainty.

However, it is certain that there are negative social and economic consequences for teen parents.

According to Healthy People 2030, there are 43.4 teen pregnancies per every 1000

female teenagers in the United States. Although the rate of teen pregnancy in the U.S. has

decreased, 43.4/1000 is a higher rate of teen pregnancy than most industrialized countries have.

Healthy People 2030 has set the goal of reducing this number to 31.4/1000 by 2030.

Demographics of Target Population

Teen pregnancy is more common among teens experiencing social vulnerability. Social

vulnerability is measured using factors that are associated with marginalization or

disadvantaging certain populations, such as income, language, minority status, and household

composition. The connection between teen pregnancy and social vulnerability is so strong that a

one quartile increase in Social Vulnerability Index score resulted in 11.5 more teen pregnancies

per 1000 teen females. The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index is an additive index examining

many features of vulnerability. Most predictive of teen pregnancy were socioeconomic factors

like low income and low education, household composition factors like single-parent homes and

homes with a disabled parent or child, and minority and language factors (Yee et al., 2019).

For this reason, a health intervention should specifically target teens and families with

teens in areas with high social vulnerability. These areas can be found using the CDC’s

interactive Social Vulnerability Index.

Best Practices for Reducing Rates of Teen Pregnancy

Evidence-based best practices to reduce teen pregnancies include culturally competent

educational outreach to teens and their families regarding contraceptives. Evidence-based best

practices also include norming the perception that pregnancy is a serious and consequential

endeavor, and educating on the reasons that teens should avoid an early pregnancy. A final best-

practice is to improve access to contraception for teenagers. Even well educated teenagers may

become pregnant if contraceptives are difficult to access (Brown, 2020).

Access and education regarding long-acting reversible contraceptives may be especially

effective at reducing teen pregnancy. Long-acting and reversible contraceptives, such as implants

and intra uterine devices, are twenty times more affective than other methods of contraception

(Carper et al., 2018). They are also particularly well suited to teens and young adults because,

once in place, they do not require altered behavior (i.e. taking a daily pill or putting on a

condom).

SMARTER Goals

SMARTER stands for Specific, Achievable, Measurable, Relevant, Timebound,

Engaging, and Rewarding. Les McLeod propositioned using SMARTER objectives rather than

SMART goals to improve executive organization. Following the SMARTER objectives

framework, I have developed a set of objectives to reduce teen pregnancy in collaboration with

the Santa Barbara County School district, teens, parents, and educators. The Objectives are as

follows:

1. The county school district will hold annual, multilingual trainings on long-acting

reversible contraceptives for teens and families at each public high school in Santa

Barbara County.

2. The county school district will permanently hire a bilingual (English and Spanish)

public health RN to discuss family planning and the consequences of teen pregnancy,

as well as contraceptive options with individual students throughout the county as

needed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, teen pregnancy can have adverse socioeconomic and health effects for the teen

parents, particularly the mother, and the babies. Teen pregnancy is more prevalent in areas with

high social vulnerability, specifically areas with lower income, lower levels of education, higher

minority populations, lower levels of English proficiency, and higher rates of single-parent

households on average. Best practices to reduce teen pregnancy include culturally competent

outreach that educates teens and their families about long acting and reversible contraceptives, as

well as improving access to contraceptives.

References

Basu, S., & Gorry, D. (2021). Consequences of teenage childbearing on child health.Economics

and Human Biology, 42, 101019-101019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101019

Brown, S. S. (2020). What will it take to further reduce teen pregnancy in the U.S.?Journal of

Adolescent Health, 66(5), 522-523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.009

Carper, S. T. R., Kane, A., & Sawhill, I. (2018). Following the evidence to reduce unplanned

pregnancy and improve the lives of children and families. The Annals of the American

Academy of Political and Social Science, 678(1), 199-

205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716218770684

Van Lieshout, R. J., Savoy, C. D., Boyle, M. H., Georgiades, K., Jack, S. M., Niccols, A.,

Whitty, H., & Lipman, E. L. (2020). The mental health of young canadian

mothers.Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(4), 464-

469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.10.024

Yee, C. W., Cunningham, S. D., & Ickovics, J. R. (2019). Application of the social vulnerability

index for identifying teen pregnancy intervention need in the united states. Maternal and

Child Health Journal, 23(11), 1516-1524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02792-7