Early (10-15 years-old) and late adolescents (15-19 years-old) have been shown to differ in health-related behaviors, supporting the relevance of chronological differentiation for health behavior research. Primary developmental issues and experiences of early adolescents differ from those of late adolescents. Most of the research on teen pregnancy addresses the views of early adolescents, overlooking the late adolescents (17-19 years-old). The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of late adolescents regarding teen pregnancy, family, work, and school environment, which will assist in designing intervention programs and constructing survey materials for late adolescents. Focus groups were conducted with 110 (n=69 females; n=41 males) adolescents (17-19 years-old) in two high schools located in Oklahoma City. This study is one intervention activity of the HEART of OKC (Healthy, Empowered And Responsible Teens of OKC) Project, one of 13 community-based teen pregnancy prevention/youth development projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initially, adolescents answered 14 survey questions on family environment, employment, school climate, and educational goals. The focus group questions were designed to probe the adolescents views on the importance of teen pregnancy as a problem; attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about preventing teen pregnancy; the barriers to and motivations for preventing teen pregnancy; and the media messages on teen pregnancy. One advantage of the focus group methodology was the ideas generated from the group discussions. Themes that emerged, implications for intervention programs, and impact on survey design for late adolescents will be presented.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. Discuss late adolescents' developmental issues and expereinces on teen pregnancy. 2. Describe teen pregnancy prevention from a youth development perspective.
Keywords: Pregnancy, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.