How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

Keymone Blake

University of North Florida

HSC 4730: Public Health Research

Dr. Emily Moore

February 2, 2021
How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

Introduction

In this literature review, there are a number of outlined studies that confirm correlation

between the quality/presence of sexual health education and teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancies

have been proven to shorten educational achievement (Westall, 1997) for teen parents and more

specifically, teen mothers. There are many issues that connect to teen pregnancy, including

higher susceptibility to drug addiction and strong links to poverty (Salas-Wright., et al, 2015).

The best way to improve our future is to empower our youth of today. It is imperative that we

continuously research each program of our community in Jacksonville, Florida- and implement

more wholistic view of sex education in order to lessen the prevalence of teen pregnancies. This

literature review will define the effects of teen pregnancy and results from studies completed

surrounding sex education programs and their outcomes.

Discussion

According to data presented by Florida Health Charts (Florida Health Charts, 2021), the

average rate per 1000 total population of births by mothers up to 19 years was 4.2 for the state of

Florida for the year 2019. This same rate with adjusted diameters for Duval county was 5.5.

Although higher than the average, significant efforts have clearly been made to lower the rate, as

12 years prior, the average held at 13.9. Regardless of progress, a great deal more can be made to

improve or sex education and potentially lower the rate below the state’s average.

Following a study from the American Journal of Nursing, students who complete

comprehensive sexual health education are half as likely to report pregnancy than those who

received “abstinence-only” education (Potera, 2008). The results of the study denied significant
How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

correlation to sexual activity as a result of comprehensive sex education. Meaning that sex

education does not cause teenagers to engage in sexual behaviors. This is a significant point for

many parents and religious organizations resisting a comprehensive sex education (Stanger-Hall

& Hall, 2011). “Comprehensive” in these terms includes genital terminology, STD education,

and contraceptive use, including oral, barrier, and other methods. The ideal sex education would

include education on same sex relationships since most sex education programs only cover sex as

defined by heterosexual relationships.

Teenage Motherhood

Teen mothers, above fathers, are more at risk in terms of mental health, financial

wellness, and education. Across cultures, women are expected to take the brunt of their child’s

needs in every way. This includes feeding, clothing, bathing, education, transportation, and a

long list of many other things that mothers would be pleased to educate us on. This severe

drainage of energy and time on a person who most likely has less financial resources and

stability can take an extreme toll on her. This stress continues on and weighs her down. The

implications of being born to a teen mother with a less than stable support system is severe.

Children of teen mothers are more likely to face abuse and participate in drug usage and

addictive personality traits as an adult (Cederbaum, et al, 2020).

In a study completed to outline the effects of teen pregnancy on pregnant mothers and the

effectiveness of intervention, it was shown that “intervention method” graduates were more

likely to complete high school than other teen mothers (Britner & Repucci, 1997). In the study,

the term “intervention” is interchangeable with a parental education program. In the program,
How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

young mothers were educated on healthy parent-child relationships, basic child care and needs,

and how to bring security to the life of their child. Classes continued on a 12-week cycle, 3 times

annually with data taken every 3 years. Staff visited the most “at risk” mothers post birth to

enroll them into the program with “at risk” meaning low income with the least knowledge of

infant care, and limited support systems. Those who did not complete the study were also

significantly more likely to present mental, verbal, and physical abusive methods for parenting,

which has also shown to increase the likelihood of children gaining addictive personality traits.

This study showed us the difficulties of teen motherhood and how it translates into the lives of

their children. Also, because of lack of education, it is less likely that teen mothers will gain well

paying jobs, lowering the probability of generational wealth amongst their family. This is a cycle

that perpetuates itself in families of color across the United States and would be an interesting

topic to explore in future studies.

Conclusion

The quality of education we present to our youth is directly reflected in their actions and

choices. This remains true for every type of education, especially sex education. The

consequences of lacking sex education are significantly more dire than others as well. The

choices made past that class change the course of these children’s lives forever. The studies in

this literature review draw a correlation between sex education and the prevalence of teen

mothers. My team would like to be able to research the extent of the quality of education in

programs across Jacksonville City in Florida state in order to present supporting data to school

boards of each county. Our current goal is to upgrade the current curriculum held for sex

education in Jacksonville and outlying suburbs in order to lower the rate of teen pregnancies.
How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

References

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How Sex Education Quality Affects Prevalence of Teenage Parenthood

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