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Health Promotion Plan for Teen pregnancy

Student’s Name

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Course Number: Course Name

Instructor

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Health Promotion Plan for Teen pregnancy

The teenage birth rate in the United States has been on the decline since 1991. For

instance, teen birth rates between 2018 and 2019 declined from 176.4 per 1,000females to 16.7

per 1000 females (CDC, 2021). CDC (2021) attributes the decline to contraceptive use and

abstinence. Despite teen pregnancy falling in the United States, these pregnancies are higher

than in other industrialized nations. Teen pregnancy persists among ethnic minority groups,

especially African Americans.

Health Promotional Goals

The health promotional goals are

✓ To enhance African American youth’s awareness of the individual, social, and family

risk factors for teen pregnancy

✓ To create awareness on how and where to access contraceptives

✓ To reduce teen pregnancy rates among African Americans

Characteristics of my Chosen Hypothetical Group

My hypothetical group is African American teenagers. According to Summers, Lee, and

Lee (2017), African American adolescents’ birth rate was 35 births per1000 in 2013. Summers et

al. (2017) further argue that 45% of African-American females become pregnant before 20

years, and 38% of the 45% will discontinue their education. Teen pregnancy results in significant

consequences for the parent and the child. For instance, children conceived by teenage mothers

are likely to have poor educational outcomes, have health challenges, drop out of school, are

jailed during their adolescents, face unemployment, and also become young mothers (Summers

et al., 2017). The government and other significant stakeholders can prevent these challenges by
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ensuring that children are conceived by mothers who can provide for their children and are

mature.

Why my Chosen Population is predisposed to Teen Pregnancy

Various factors contribute to teen pregnancy among African Americans, especially those

from disadvantaged neighborhoods. They include lack of information and knowledge about sex

and contraception, peer influences, parental involvement, and substance use (Summers et al.,

2017). For instance, peer influence compels individuals to engage in risky sexual behavior

(Widman et al., 2016). Increased sexual violence, limited access to contraception and

reproductive and sexual health information also contributes to teen pregnancy among African

Americans.

Why the Chosen Population can benefit from a Health Promotion Education Plan

Health promotion programs among youths increase access to contraceptives, minimizes

sexual activity, reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, the

program will reduce sex frequency, delayed introduction to sexual intercourse, and increased use

of contraceptives, including condoms. Therefore, the health promotion programs will benefit

African American youths by reducing teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, increasing

contraception use, and reducing sexual activity. As a result, school dropout rates and associated

consequences like increased unemployment rates will also decline.

What I would include in the Development of a Sociogram

A sociogram is a tool that charts the connection within a group. It represents the

preferences and social links for each individual. Therefore, healthcare workers use a sociogram

to understand gender, family relationship, emotional relationships, lifespan, and genetic

predisposition. Therefore, I will include race/ethnicity, poverty, healthcare and education quality,
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and social factors in my sociogram. According to Akella & Jordan (2015), significant disparities

exist among ethnic and racial groups regarding teen pregnancies. The author notes that Hispanic

and African American youths are responsible for 57%of teen births despite accounting for 35%

of the United States population (aged 15 and 19 years). Teen pregnancy rates among African

American and Latino youths are 64 and 83 per 1000(Akella & Jordan, 2015). For non-Hispanic

white teens, the teen birth rate is 21 births per 1000. Therefore, including race/ethnicity in the

sociogram is necessary to understand the reasons for increased birth rates among African

American females compared to their white counterparts.

Minority populations are subjected to multiple problems, including lack of quality

healthcare, low education levels, and high poverty rates. For instance, African American youths

residing in households whose income is beneath or at 200% federal poverty level are at increased

risk of teen pregnancy (Akella & Jordan, 2015). Children raised in poverty are exposed to

multiple social factors like teen pregnancy, substance and alcohol abuse, gang involvement, and

illiteracy. The teen pregnancy cycle within the family tends to continue. Therefore, including

social factors in the sociogram is necessary because of the connection between illiterate, poor,

and early childbirth

African Americans Potential Learning Needs

Various risk factors contribute to teen pregnancy. They include individual risk factors

like engaging in sex early, alcohol and drug abuse, and inadequate information about

contraception or sex. Social factors also contribute to teen pregnancy, including peer influence,

dating at a young age and dating older men. Family risk factors like history of teen pregnancy,

inadequate communication between teens and parents, poor interactions at the family level, poor

supervision, and single-parent families contribute to teen pregnancy. Therefore, the learning
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needs for the target population are individual, family, and social risk factors of teen pregnancy,

consequences of early pregnancy, and how to prevent early pregnancies.

Expectations for the Educational Session and How Group Needs Will be met

After the educational session, the target audience should highlight the individual, family,

and social risk factors for teen pregnancy. The audience will be expected to identify some of the

risk factors present in their lives and how they can address them. They should also recognize

how and where they can access contraceptives and determine the consequences of teen

pregnancy. I will meet the group needs by customizing the education strategies to individual

learning needs. Therefore, I will use a mix of learning strategies to achieve the health

promotional goals. For instance, I will use lectures, group discussions, PowerPoint

presentations, demonstrations, and videos to emphasize points and enhance understanding. A

combination of these methods will ensure group needs are met.

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References

Akella, D., & Jordan, M. (2015). Impact of social and cultural factors on teenage pregnancy.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 8(1), 3, 1-23

CDC.(2021,September 03). About teen pregnancy. Retrieved from,

https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm

Summers, L., Lee, Y. M., & Lee, H. (2017). Contributing factors of teenage pregnancy among

African-American females living in economically disadvantaged communities. Applied

Nursing Research, 37, 44-49. https:/doi.org/ 10.1016/j.apnr.2017.07.006

Widman, L., Choukas-Bradley, S., Helms, S. W., & Prinstein, M. J. (2016). Adolescent

susceptibility to peer influence in sexual situations. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(3),

323-329. https:/doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.253