TEEN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING IN WEST VIRGINIA

2013 ReportMargaret Chapman PomponioCamilla EubanksWV FREE

WHO WE ARE

WV FREE was founded in 1989.

Every year WV FREE distributes thousands of pieces of family planning educational materials to rape crisis centers, homeless shelters, clinics and college campuses. We organize comprehensive contraception and emergency contraception trainings with at-risk youth, incarcerated youth, high school students, and resident assistants at local universities in every region in the state. We work to train providers and health educators about the importance of offering patients comprehensive reproductive health care. We advocate for policies that promote reproductive health.

WV FREE has been researching and exploring teen attitudes about

pregnancy and sexual health data since 2008. It was not until 2008, when there was a significant increase of teen pregnancies in West Virginia, that this statistic became an important catalyst for the work of many organizations, the media, and the public in West Virginia.

METHODOLOGY

Spearheaded by WV FREE, collaborative research began with the Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Department of Education, the Guttmacher Institute, Marshall University, West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and the West Virginia Women’s Commission, to understand and determine social factors that affect teen pregnancy.

This report is evidence of a concerted effort to understand teen pregnancy and determine factors that will help uplift youth in West Virginia.

 WV FREE gathers relevant data and statistics from both national and statewide resources. Due to the collection of data and reporting, dates contained in this report reflect the most current information available from the site reference.

WHAT IS HAPPENING GLOBALLY?

2010 US TEEN BIRTH RATE

NATIONAL VS. WV TEEN BIRTH RATE

In 2010 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services Office on Adolescent Health, West Virginia’s birth rate dipped slightly in 2010 to 44.8 per 1,000 teenagers 15-19 years of age. West Virginia was ranked 9 out of 51 states and the District of Columbia on 2010 final teen births rates among females aged 15-19 (with 1 representing the highest rate and 51 representing the lowest rate)

WHERE IS WEST VIRGINIA?

2010 TEEN BIRTH RATES

2010 Teen Birth Rate (birth per 1,000 Females aged 15-19, 2010)

Total West Virginia U.S.

Females aged 15-19 44.8 34.2

Females aged 15-17 21.1 17.3

Females aged 18-19 75.6 58.2

2010 Teen Birth Rate (birth per 1,000 Females aged 15-19, 2010)

Total West Virginia U.S.

Females aged 15-19 44.8 34.2

Females aged 15-17 21.1 17.3

Females aged 18-19 75.6 58.2

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US?

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS OF WEST VIRGINIA’S TEEN BIRTH RATE?

Lower readiness to be a parent and reduced access to prenatal care

Lower educational attainment and advanced educational degrees

Cycle of Poverty

EDUCATORS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY CAN GET

INVOLVED!

APPROACHES TO REDUCE TEEN CHILDBEARING IN WEST VIRGINIA AND SUPPORT TEEN

PARENTS?

Provide comprehensive sexuality education for teen students

Provide Teen Clinics that operate when teens can have access to them

Provide child care at area high schools Increase access to contraceptives and reproductive health

care Engage youth through community development programs Help parents and teachers communicate together Develop community and recreational activities Empower youth through civic engagement

WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO DECREASE THE TEEN CHILDBEARING RATE IN WEST VIRGINIA?

THANK YOU!

 Margaret Chapman Pomponio Camilla

Eubanks304-342-9188 304-342-9188margaret@wvfree.org

camilla@wvfree.org

PO Box 11042Charleston, WV 25339

(304) 342-9188www.wvfree.org