Teen Pregnancy Prevention - Research Paper Example

? Teen Pregnancy Prevention Lecturer: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Introduction Teenage pregnancies have become a significant issue across the globe, and the United States is among the leading nations with increased teen pregnancies. Despite the recent declines in teen birth and pregnancy rate, the United States still has the highest rates compared with other industrialized nations (Hamilton, Martin and Ventura, 2010). The research indicates that the greatest numbers of teen pregnancies are inadvertent or unplanned. Millions of girls get pregnancy before attaining the age of 20 years and these results due to rape cases, peer group influences, socioeconomic issues and ignorance. Therefore, many teenagers expose themselves to pregnancy risks and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) such as HIV/Aids, syphilis and many others. The cases of STIs have become higher than before among adolescents in the current years. Many of teen pregnancies evolve from socially and economically underprivileged backgrounds. The research survey indicates that about million teenagers ageing from 10 to 24 were diagnosed of gonorrhea and syphilis in the year 2006. Moreover, females aged 20 to 24 had HPV (human papillomavirus) infections (Preidit, 2009). Earlier teen pregnancies cause troubles to their parents because parents are the ones who take greatest responsibilities in supporting, and educating the child in case they decide not to abandon the child to orphanage. Furthermore, young parents, especially single mum, as well as child, sometimes suffers from mental and physical health problems due to the pressure associated with the early pregnancy. However, the research reveals that comprehensive sex education programs and access to varied teen programs are significant. This is essential because it can help teens to make effective decisions for avoiding unwanted pregnancies. As a result, preventing teenagers from getting pregnant is becoming a critical issue that cannot be ignored. Given the increasing prevalence of sexual behaviors from ages12 to 15, the Children’s Aid Society set up a program called Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (CAPP), which aimed at reducing the rate of early pregnancy. The Children’s Aid Society (CAS) is a program that was established in 1970, but later expanded in1984. This program aims to provide sexual education programs to all teenagers across the US. The CAS educators aimed to change the behaviors of teens and influences of risk behaviors that may mislead teenagers to make ineffective decisions of engaging in immoral sexual behaviors. While teenagers received a sound family life and sexuality education curriculum and access to various health services, they would return home to communities where the responsibility of sex behaviors became quickly diluted. The administrative director of CAS in partnership with Dr. Carrera implemented a new approach that would help teenagers to avoid making mistakes. The program takes place for seven days in a week in a year. The new approach began at the Dunlevy Milbank ACAS center, with 27 groups of people and a few parents, in 1984. The programs were expanded to three CAS centers, increasing the number of teens by ten times by the year 1990. CAS-Carrera established the Bernice & Milton Stern National Adolescent Sexuality on the same year. The training began in the training centre earlier after Dr. Carrera and CAS staff provided technological support and education model to institutions. This program took place within and outside of New York City in order to replicate the model. Many groups have replicated CAS-Carrera in dozens of sites across the globe. The program contains many parts aiming at preventing teen pregnancy, including family life and sexuality education, and parents program. Therefore, the research study aims to find out the weaknesses of the two solutions and propose corresponding improvements to teen pregnancy prevention. Family Life and Sexuality Education Providing family life and sexuality education is significant towards teen pregnancy reeducation. This is one of the programs offered by CAS, and it involves providing weekly education sessions throughout the year, age and stage effective instructions, common sense approach emphasizing abstinence throughout curriculum. It also involves encouraging young people to talk with their parents about sexuality. This may become a problem because not all teens will be ready to share or talk with their parents about sexual issues. Sharing with parents is also a dispute in this intervention program. This is because low parental participation is common and may pose a challenge in studies where this is a component of the intervention. Hindin and Fatusi (2009) argue that reproductive health programs are low in many countries because of the parental gap between their children. This is because many parents are committed with their activities; thus low intervention with their children. Moreover, the weakness of family life and sexuality education may improve the life skills and nature positive attitudes as well as values to teens. However, it has extensive issue of physical, biological and emotional as well as a social relation issues among the teens. Many teenagers pass varied steps at the adolescent stage, and this is the stage when most of them find it hard to cope up in an environment where there are strict rules. Political context and social related issues may exert a strong influence upon the implementation of this intervention program (Basile and Smith, 2011). Many countries oppose this program and other lack effective support and some religions such as catholic object the issue of sexuality education. However, the serious problem that may impact this intervention program is the lack of commitment especially from many working class parents. Many working class parents tend to be busy; thus, they lack adequate time with their children; thus, the family life program may not work well in such families. Many teens spend most of their time with peer, and they find it easy to share information about sexual issues with peers more than their parents. Self Expression Self-expression is another main objective of the CAS program, and it involves exposing the teens to varied creative opportunities. This is essential because it will allow youth to express their thoughts and emotional views related to personal issues and their commitment in the society. The significant elements in this intervention program include practicing varied activities such as music, dance and stage acting as well as opportunities for project related activities. One of the weaknesses with self-expression is that many teens will fail to express their sexuality issues in front of their parents. Although, participation in varied activities aimed towards reduction of pregnancy prevention is crucial, many teens develop low self-esteem at the adolescent stage. This is because of physical an emotional development issues; thus, many of them feel shy to participate in some activities. De, Ethier, Kim, Cumberland, Afifi, Kotlerman, Loya and Kerndt (2010) argue that establishment of clear and an effective goal towards teen pregnancy prevention is significant. This is because it raises awareness to the community; thus enabling youth to participate and express their views towards making proper reproductive health decisions. Therefore, addressing physical development issues and promotion of sexual health is significant. Educators of sexuality health should raise physical development awareness among teenagers and embrace the abstinence-based approach to enable teens to avoid the issues and associated problems of earlier pregnancies (Chin, Sipe, Elder, Mercer, Chattopadhyay, Jacob and Santelli, 2012). Improvement of the Solutions One of the major solutions to sexuality education and self-expression intervention program is to encourage community collaboration. This is effective, it should involve parents, educators and health care provide as well as other organizations. The community should volunteer themselves to teach about sex education in varied schools. There is a gap in sex education; thus implementing sex education programs in schools is effective. Many educators feel overwhelmed or get confused on the way they should start teaching sex education. Therefore, they should partner or collaborate with parents in order to make sex education program successful. Therefore, in this case, Planned Parenthood can help because parents are believed to be the first or primary care educators about sexuality issues to their children. Alan Guttmacher Institute (2002) reveals that parents should provide guidance and counseling to their children in order to raise awareness about earlier pregnancies. They should educate them on the way they will overcome sexuality obstacles. They should also train teens on effective reproductive health and leave them to make their own choice about reproductive health. Although many parents view sexuality education as a difficult subject and feel that it deteriorates their respect, educating the teens on the effective prevention methods such as use of condoms is crucial. This is vital because it cannot only help in earlier pregnancy prevention, but also reduce chances or risks of exposing teens to STIs. Another solution is to define realistic grogram and implement effective prevention strategies such as abstinence based approach or use of prevention methods such as condoms. These strategies are effective towards earlier pregnancy prevention and reduction of STIs. The main objectives for the intervention program should relate to delayed initiation issues about sexual intercourse and effective contractive methods toward preventing earlier pregnancies. McCabe, Brewster and Tillman (2011) point out that comprehensive sexuality education should be given at all levels to all teens in order to prepare them to health adult relationships. It should also increase the knowledge and skills of adolescents in order to enable them to explore attitudes, value, gender behaviors and sexual decision-making. Therefore, educators and parents should implement effective strategies and incorporate them with significant approaches that will enable the youths to overcome earlier pregnancy issues. Corresponding Proposed Solution for Improvements of Teen Pregnancy Prevention The proposed solution for improvements to teen pregnancy prevention is to educate teens on effective contraceptive methods and distribute to them contraceptive use for protection of unintended pregnancies. The distribution of contraceptive such as condoms to varied learning institutions is one of the effective means of not only controlling unintended pregnancies, but also controlling STIs (Lavin and Cox, 2012). Despite the efforts that the government has made and other organization of implementing various intervention programs throughout the United States to reduce earlier teen pregnancies, the teen birth rates and STIs have tremendously increased. Therefore, the government and other organization educating on sexuality education should provide an alternative method of distributing the contraceptive use to various institutions. Moreover, policy makers should consider the issues of distributing effective contraceptive use for preventing unintended pregnancies. The policy makers have made efforts to identify effective strategies that can lower earlier teen pregnancies in the US, but the problem is still worsening. The number of teen pregnancies is increasing each day; thus contributing to increased school dropouts. The research study review carried out indicates that about 400, 000 teenagers starting from the age of 15 to 19 years quit high schools because of earlier pregnancies (Chin, Sipe, Elder, Mercer, Chattopadhyay, Jacob and Santelli, 2012). Therefore, it is significant for the policy makers and associated organizations for teen pregnancy prevention to consider the issues of distribution of effective contraceptive use for preventing unintended pregnancies. Although, many religious leaders and some parents would oppose this method; it is an effective means for reducing the increased rate of unwanted pregnancies. Others will view this method as one way of encouraging earlier sexual behaviors, but is an effective means of helping youths to make the right choice for a health reproduction life. Conclusion The research study revealed the weaknesses of the two solutions; thus provided corresponding improvements to teen pregnancy prevention. Providing family life and sexuality education is significant towards teen pregnancy reeducation. However, the weakness behind this policy is that it may contribute to disputes or conflicting issues among the teens and parents. Moreover, the low parental participation is common and may pose a challenge in studies because many parents tend to spend most of their times in various jobs. Thus, the rate of participating may be low; hence, it is effective for educators to address sexuality issues in various learning institutions. It is effective to encourage community collaboration and involve parents, educators and health care provides as well as other organizations. The policy makers should consider the issues of distributing effective contraceptive use for preventing unintended pregnancies. The proposed solution to improvements to teen pregnancy prevention is to educate teens on effective contraceptive method and distribute to them contraceptive use for protection of unintentional pregnancies. References Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2002). Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health. New York, NY: Alan Guttmacher Institute. Basile, K., & Smith, S. (January 01, 2011). Sexual Violence Victimization of Women: Prevalence, Characteristics, and the Role of Public Health and Prevention. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5, 5, 407-417. Chin, H. B., Sipe, T., Elder, R., Mercer, S. L., Chattopadhyay, S. K., Jacob, V., & ... Santelli, J. (2012). The Effectiveness of Group-Based Comprehensive Risk-Reduction and Abstinence Education Interventions to Prevent or Reduce the Risk of Adolescent Pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 42(3), 272-294. De, R. C. J., Ethier, K. A., Kim, D. H., Cumberland, W. G., Afifi, A. A., Kotlerman, J., Loya, R. V., ... Kerndt, P. R. (January 01, 2010). Sexual intercourse and oral sex among public middle school students: prevalence and correlates. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 42, 3, 197-205. Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., & Ventura, S. J. (2010). Births: Preliminary data for2009. National Vital Statistics Report, 59, 1-29. Hindin, M. J., & Fatusi, A. O. (January 01, 2009). Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in developing countries: An overview of trends and interventions. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35, 2, 58-62. Ishida, K., Stupp, P., & McDonald, O. (January 01, 2011). Prevalence and correlates of sexual risk behaviors among Jamaican adolescents. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 37, 1, 6-15. =Lavin, C., & Cox, J. E. (July 01, 2012). Teen pregnancy prevention. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 1. Preidit, R. (July 19, 2009). Pregnancy, STDs on the Rise Again Among U.S. Teens. Abc.news. Retrieved on December 9, 2012 from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=8105118&page=1#.UL_JdpPjlCZ McCabe, J., Brewster, K. L., & Tillman, K. H. (January 01, 2011). Patterns and Correlates of Same Sex Sexual Activity Among U.S. Teenagers and Young Adults. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 43, 3.) Read More