Portfolio Fall 1999

Fall 1999

Seven Communities Design Comprehensive, Realistic Approaches to Teen Pregnancy

lthough national teen pregnancy rates are dropping, California still has the highest rate of teen pregnancies in the country. Efforts to address the problem are often directed at youth without giving them adequate information and the support from adults they need to avert unintentional pregnancies. And the effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention programs is often diminished by confusing messages in our culture about sexuality.

A sexually healthy person, as agreed upon by more than 50 national organizations including the Society of Adolescent Medicine and the American Medical Association, has the information needed to make responsible decisions about sexual behavior, an understanding of sexual development and feelings, an ability to maintain personal boundaries and an awareness of possible consequences of his or her decisions. Through its $60-million Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) is engaging youth and adults in creating environments that will encourage the development of healthy sexuality in teens.

Gary Yates, TCWF president and CEO, said this investment is necessary because the negative health effects of teen pregnancy can be serious and long-lasting.

“Pregnant teens often do not receive adequate prenatal care, and babies born to young mothers are more likely to have low birthweights, childhood health problems and hospitalizations than other children, not to mention the stress and anxiety that often affect the health of the entire family,” Yates said. “At the same time, the risk factors that contribute to teen pregnancy also contribute to high incidences of sexually transmitted diseases.”

In June 1998, TCWF awarded seven agencies $175,000 each for the planning phase of a Community Action Program (CAP) to prevent teen pregnancies in their communities. This year, the agencies received grants of $1,050,000 each to implement their plans over 3 and 1/2 years. The CAPs are located in Hollywood, Indio, Madera, Modesto, Oceanside, Richmond and South Central Los Angeles — all of which have some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in California.

Each CAP involved residents, businesses, religious groups and community-based organizations in creating a strategic plan to address four areas known to impact teen pregnancy: access to sexuality education; access to contraceptive services; motivation for teens to avoid pregnancy; and community engagement among teens and adults.

Door-to-door survey guides program planning

The first step of the planning phase was a Community Engagement Survey. Residents were trained to conduct the surveys, and they approached their adult and teen neighbors the old-fashioned way: by knocking on their doors. The survey covered topics such as sex education, communication with teens and attitudes toward teen sexuality.

“The idea of going to someone’s house and striking up a conversation just isn’t done anymore,” said Antonia Jackson, a co-director of the Richmond CAP.

Aaminah Norris, also a co-director in Richmond, added: “Residents interviewed residents to get everyone talking about teen pregnancy, so the process itself was important.”

The results from the surveys differed across the state, providing valuable information to each CAP to help guide their strategic plans. In Hollywood, Community Coordinator German Rodriguez said their survey gave them new information about their community.

“[Our planning group] was surprised at the number of parents who didn’t know what was going on in the schools and in their community, and for many of the parents, this was their first time ever even talking about these issues,” Rodriguez said. “We saw that we really needed to open up the dialogue for adults so that they could help create a healthy environment for teens.”

In South Central Los Angeles, responses from the adults seemed to contradict those given by the youth.

“The adults said they talk to their teens about birth control, sexuality and puberty, but the teens said, ‘No, that doesn’t happen.’ We learned that parents think they are communicating, but they are uncomfortable with the topic and don’t necessarily have the skill sets to communicate effectively,” said Carl Highshaw, program manager of the South Central Los Angeles CAP.

With the results of the surveys in hand and the clear goal to reduce teen pregnancies through community action, the CAPs set about addressing the four main areas outlined in their grant agreement.