Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116122

Yolanda A. Cavalier, MPH, Public Health Program, Morgan State University, 6303 Monika Place, #1309, Baltimore, MD 21207, 410-719-7747, y_cavalier@hotmail.com, Rena G. Boss-Victoria, DrPH, MSN, RN, CNS, Public Health Program, Center for HIV Prevention Evaluation, Policy and Research, Morgan State University, 1700 E Cold Spring Lane, Jenkins Bldg, Room 343, Baltimore, MD 21251, Mian B. Hossain, MSC, MHS, PhD, MPH/DrPH Public Health Program, Morgan State University, 343 Jenkins Building, 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251-0001, and Joy P. Nanda, Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Adolescent childbearing and pregnancy are important social and public health issues. In 2002, there were a total of 432,808 births to teenagers of which 74,697 were second births and 13,805 were third or higher (Klerman, 2004). By delaying a second pregnancy, a teen mother has a better chance to finish high school, plan for the future, and develop vocational skills (Attico & Hartner, 1993; Cockey 1997; Jones & Mondy, 1994).

This study consists of a secondary analysis of the public-use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to provide insight into demographic, psychosocial, and health behavioral protective factors of a teen mother's environment. The core sample includes female respondents age 12-17 years from Wave I that had one pregnancy. Then, a sample of these females that report having two or more pregnancies prior to age 20 years in Wave II and Wave III are being compared to the remaining members of the sample. The relationships between school continuance, attitudes toward pregnancy, substance use, contraceptive use and prosocial activities and the outcome variable, number of teen pregnancies, are being assessed. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis using SPSS and STATA software are being used to examine the relationships. These findings can be used in community and school-based prevention programs.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the discussion, participants will be able to

1. Understand the interaction of demographic, psychosocial and behavioral factors from a teen mothers environment on the teen mother’s health behaviors. 2. Identify at least three(
• protective factors such as school continuance in an adolescent mother’s social environment that can be used in the design of secondary teen pregnancy prevention programs.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Pregnancy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.