Patricia J. Moore-Pastides, MPH, Director, Pregnant and Parenting Teen Provider Network, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1511 Gregg Street, Columbia, SC 29223, 803-771-7700, pmoore-pastides@teenpregnancysc.org

In South Carolina a teenager becomes pregnant every 51 minutes and approximately 30% of these pregnancies are "repeat" pregnancies. In March 2003, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy conducted focus groups with parenting teens and with programs serving pregnant and parenting teenagers. Results indicated that providers needed greater knowledge of all programs serving pregnant and parenting teens and greater opportunities to collaborate and engage other community resources. Teen parents expressed a desire to be heard, and better understood by service providers. Thus, in September, 2003, the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy initiated a PPTPN with the overarching goal of decreasing the rate of repeat teen pregnancy in South Carolina. This paper will describe subsequent research methods and results that were used to build the network. Research methods include a statewide provider survey delineating the specific types of services available in SC, and the self-reported training and technical assistance needs of providers. Additional focus groups with parenting teens designed to identify their attitudes toward sex, relationships, and contraceptive use will also be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will understand the ways in which a statewide pregnant and parenting teen provider network (PPTPN) can address the complex problem of repeat teen pregnancy prevention by creating opportunities for training and collaboration among secondary prevention providers that are grounded in primary source research with both parenting teens and service providers.
• Participants will be able to identify the attitudes governing the behavior of parenting teens as stated by teen parents and will be able to list the self-reported top training needs of secondary prevention providers.
• Participants will learn the value of primary source research and will be able to assess the applicability of the resulting SC infomation to their own work with parenting teens.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.