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Why Aren't the Teen Pregnancy Rates Falling?
What are we doing right and what are we doing wrong in North Carolina?
November 5, 2007- The North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics released the 2006 Teen Pregnancy statistics last month. The numbers indicate that teen pregnancy statistics have been virtually unchanged since 2003, with no significant rise or fall. "The numbers indicate that the gains we experienced in the past are not
continuing," said Kay Phillips, Executive Director of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina (APPCNC), "This signifies the need for increased support from state funding or
we are at risk of losing the ground we have worked so hard for."
But the main question remains: Why have the rates stopped falling?
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What Isn't Working?
The plateau in rates may be due to a wide variety of factors. Funding for teen pregnancy prevention has been mostly unchanged since 2003. Currently that funding supports 63 teen pregnancy prevention and teen parenting programs across the state. (Prior to the cut in funds in 2002 there were 71 local programs funded.) While the General Assembly admirably allocated funds to prevent further cuts during the 2007 Session, an expansion of funding would allow more programs that work to be started and continued in North Carolina.
In addition North Carolina moved from a comprehensive sex education curriculum to an abstinence only curriculum in 1996. The first class of children wholly educated on abstinence only curricula began to reach the crucial ages of 15-19 in 2002-2003, the first year of the plateau. While no specific research has been performed in North Carolina, a national study chartered by Congress has shown that Abstinence Only sex education has no effect on the actual abstinence of the participants. Together with the loss of funding, these factors could combine to stop the decline in teen pregnancy.
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What Is Working?
All hope is not lost in North Carolina. More can be done but much is being done right now to restart the fall of the teen pregnancy rates. Innovative programs, unconventional partnerships and new initiatives are being combined with scientifically proven interventions to improve the lives of the youth of North Carolina.
APPCNC is spearheading an effort to assess the needs and resources for adolescent youth in North Carolina around the issues of adolescent health and adolescent pregnancy prevention/education. This effort is being done in conjunction with the NC Department of Health & Human Services as well as other statewide groups and universities. As part of the project, APPCNC will be gathering information from across the state and compiling a directory of existing resources as well as a catalogue of unmet needs in the communities across North Carolina. Armed with this information, health care providers will be better able to target populations of teens that are underserved or unserved today.
Programs across North Carolina are finding new and innovative ways to get the word out about teen pregnancy prevention. In Burke County, the Healthy Burke Youth Task Force and the Burke County Health Department's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator recently hosted a Parent N' Teen Walk-A-Thon on October 13, in Morganton. Titled "Walk the walk-so you can talk the talk", the walk was not a fund raiser, but an awareness raiser. The goal of the walk was to help build a stronger relationship between parents and teens and get them talking about sex and sexuality, and educate the greater community about teen pregnancy consequences. As teens and parents walked around the one mile park track, they participated in a fact finding scavenger hunt. Participants were given a set of questions regarding pregnancy and STI's they had to answer, using information posted on signs around the track. The information included state and county statistics, pregnancy and STI information, abstinence and comprehensive information and resources for pregnant teens. Teens and parents also had an opportunity to visit nine booths, representing agencies and organizations offering services for youth across Burke County. The four hour event attracted 221 parents and teens. An estimated 60% were teens and 40% parents. The youngest participant was seven and the oldest teen was nineteen. (For further information on the Walk, contact Heather Morgan at 828-448-3210.) |
What Needs To Happen Now?
North Carolina's youth deserve to be educated about their health. APPCNC supports a return to comprehensive sex education in public schools. If our current lack of education is contributing to the rate stagnation, then we must turn to what has been proven to work. Comprehensive sexuality education has been scientifically evaluated to produce results. North Carolina needs to abstain from wasted opportunities and embrace proven, effective programs.
During the 2007 Legislative Session, lawmakers took great strides to ensure that pregnancy prevention programs would not be cut. Now it's time to expand those programs. New funding would allow new programs to be started in areas that have greatest need, as well as among populations with traditionally higher teen pregnancy rates. The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives (TPPI) grants support curricula that have been scientifically evaluated to work. Now this program needs to be expanded. Every program started is another program that can prevent teen pregnancies.
Studies have shown that parental involvement in the life of a teen is a protective factor in prevention of teen pregnancies. "Parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children," said Kay Phillips, "What children learn from their parents can be supplemented by education in the schools, but it can never be replaced. If the children can't talk to their parents about sex, they're going to get their answers from less reliable sources. Parents must take the first step and talk to their children about sex." APPCNC advises that parents begin speaking with children about sex by the age of 7, giving them accurate and age-appropriate information. As the children grow, so should the information they're given. APPCNC also advises parents to be "askable", to show the child that you are open and honest about the questions they ask.
"Clearly there is a great deal of work to be done. But we're confident that North Carolina can do it," said Phillips, "North Carolina can once again be a leader in the field of teen pregnancy prevention."
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About the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina
The prevention of adolescent
pregnancy is the business of the Adolescent
Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina
(APPCNC). We believe a cooperative approach between
public agencies, private organizations and
community volunteers can maximize prevention
efforts. APPCNC has been working for North Carolina since 1985. Please visit www.APPCNC.org for further information and statistics. |
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| Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina
Kay Phillips, Executive Director
(919) 226-1880
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