Engaging Teens in the Issue of Teen Pregnancy

The NEFL Teen Pregnancy Task Force held five focus groups throughout the region over the course of October and November. We talked to over 50 teens about their views on teen pregnancy, sexual behaviors and sex education. Check out the link below to see what teens in Northeast Florida had to say!

Teen Listening Tours - HSC

And let us know -- do you agree with their opinions and solutions?

Question of the Week: 10/7

Teens: Who do you talk to about sex?
Your mom or dad? Other relatives? Your friends? A mentor? Someone else? Where do you get your advice or ask questions?

We'd love to hear your feedback! Please leave a comment with your answer.

Listening Tour: Teens Provide Their Perspectives

Northeast Florida teens will have an opportunity to provide their perspective on the causes and solutions to the region's high teen pregnancy rates through a series of discussion groups held throughout the region.  The groups, led by UNF Nursing students, were organized with the help of teen-serving programs.  Participants will be invited to join in task force discussion and activities through this blog.

Special thanks to Thomas Bryant III, interim director of the Institute for Public Health Informatics & Research at the Duval County Health Department, for his assistance in training the nursing students as group facilitators.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Northeast Florida Teen Pregnancy Task Force's interactive blog. The Task Force was created to address the high rate of teenagers having babies in the region. As the Task Force meets and develops a plan to improve current services for teens and possible create new ones, we would like your feedback. Please feel free to stop by on a regular basis and comment on our posts. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Teen Pregnancy in Northeast Florida

Teen Pregnancy Task Force

Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition

The purpose of this task force is to address teenage pregnancy in Northeast Florida and determine effective methods of prevention, particularly around repeat teen births. The task force will listen to the teen voice; assess programs both locally and nationally; examine existing local services; determine areas for improvement; develop or emulate successful strategies and interventions; examine partnerships and possible expansion of Healthy Start services. A key task force activity will be obtaining input from teens, including those who are pregnant, to gain insight into contributing factors and effective approaches to addressing this issue. Since nearly one out of five teenagers in Northeast Florida who has a baby will become pregnant again before leaving her teens, the task force will focus efforts on preventing repeat pregnancies and birth. These births represent “missed opportunities” for prevention since the teen mothers usually touch some system of care during their initial pregnancy.

Task force membership shall include Coalition volunteers, representatives from agencies and organizations that serve adolescents and their families, researchers, members of the faith community, pediatric/adolescent health care providers, family planning programs, school systems, youth-serving organizations (e.g. YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs), juvenile justice programs, teens, and other interested organizations in the region.  The task force shall serve for approximately 9 – 12 months.   

Teen Pregnancy in Northeast Florida

Teenage mothers and their babies are consistently linked with poor health and socioeconomic outcomes. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to be born premature[1] and have low birth weight[2]. These mothers are least likely of all maternal age groups to receive prenatal care2 aboveat a higher risk for pregnancy complications[3], are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to live in poverty[4].

Teen Pregnancy Rate (Ages 15-19) Rolling 3-year Rates

 Source: Florida CHARTS, 2004-2008

Teen mothers in Northeast Florida are typically unmarried, more likely to delay or forgo prenatal care and more likely to have Medicaid as their delivery payment source (70 percent of teen mothers compared to 45 percent of all mothers). There is also a racial disparity among teen pregnancy ratesBlack and other nonwhites account for 46 percent of teen births in Northeast Florida. Statewide, these moms account for 37 percent of teen births.

Repeat Teen Pregnancy Rate (15-19) Rolling 3-year Rates

Source: Florida CHARTS, 2004-2008

Nearly one out of five teenagers in Northeast Florida who has a baby will become pregnant again before leaving her teens. Additional births multiply the difficulties experienced by teen mothers[5].  Eighteen percent of teen births in Northeast Florida in 2008 were to mothers who have had a previous pregnancy.

Teenagers ages 15 to 19 years old who gave birth represented 10.6 percent of all Northeast Florida births in 2008 but accounted for a higher proportion of poor health outcomes. In 2008, mothers ages 19 and under were more likely than their older counterparts to experience fetal and infant deaths, accounting for 16.4 percent and 15.2 percent respectively.

Birth Outcomes for Teenage Mothers Ages 15-19, 2008

Source: Florida CHARTS, 2008

Teen pregnancy has a significant economic impact on society. An analysis from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy estimates that teen childbearing (ages 19 and under) in Florida cost taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $481 million in 2004. The average annual cost in Florida of teen childbearing is $1,347 per teen birth, although the average annual cost associated with a child born to a mother 17 and younger is $3,652. Most of the costs stemmed from public health care, child welfare, incarceration and lost tax revenue. Daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves and sons of teen mothers are more likely to be incarcerated[6]. 

Teen pregnancy rates differ among the five counties in Northeast Florida. Baker County has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and repeat teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy in Baker County is more than twice as prevalent as in Clay and St. Johns counties, which have the lowest rates in the region.

	Teen Pregnancy Rate (15-19)			Repeat Teen Pregnancy Rate (15-19)
	2006	2007	2008	2006	2007	2008
Baker	86.8	70.5	70.9	30.3	18	21.7
Clay	35.7	39.2	33.4	14.9	9.9	13.4
Duval	51.2	52.1	47.6	18.2	20	17.9
Nassau	40.5	42.7	49.0	20.2	18.2	16.5
St. Johns	26.7	24.9	21.9	16.1	16.5	15.1

Source: Florida CHARTS, 2006-2008

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[1] National Center for Health Statistics, final natality data.

[2] Martin, J.A., et al. Births: Final Data for 2006. National Vital Statistics Reports, volume 57, number 7, January 7, 2009. 

[3] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Especially for Teens: Having a Baby. Patient Education Pamphlet, August 2007

[4] National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Why It Matters.

[5] Schelar, E.,  Franzetta, K., & Manlove, J. (2007). Repeat Teen Childbearing: Differences Across States and by Race and Ethnicity (Issue Brief No. 2007-23).  Washington, DC: Child Trends

[6] Hoffman, SD (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy: Washington, DC