Essay on The PPACA: Obesity and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem in America even though the CDC documents a decrease from 2007-2009 in all racial groups. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Reducing the number of pregnancies in teens 15-17 is a core indicator identified by Healthy People 2020 to assess the status of adolescent health. Children born to teens are at risk for health concerns from being of low birth weight and having poor prenatal care such as delayed development. (Magness, 2012). Repeat pregnancy, dependence on welfare, and poverty are some of the results of adolescent pregnancy. Teen mothers tend to have health problems such as hypertension, and anemia and are at high risk for early delivery. Magness looks at the issue from the teen’s viewpoint and discusses the idea that some teens become pregnant to provide stability in an otherwise chaotic life and can gain maturity from the experience. Emphasis on continuing their education after delivery can prevent repeat pregnancies. Lack of productive or positive social activities or guidance can leave room for a teen to indulge in risky behavior to occupy their time. Peer pressure and influence from present day norms can cause teenagers to give in to early onset of sexual activity (Kirven, 2014). Finding after school or extracurricular activities can promote a healthier self

Teen pregnancy is surprisingly decreasing over the years. According to Farber, “the most recent studies have shown that there has been a decrease in the rate of pregnancies among all teenagers and among sexually active teenagers (16). Although this issue seems is decreasing this is still a problem faced by many teenage girls today. Each year, 7.5 percent of all 15-19 year old women become pregnant (Maynard 1). Not only does this issue affects the pregnant teen but it also affects the economy. Teen pregnancy affects graduation rates. Many teen mothers cite pregnancy as the key reason of them not finishing school. Only 40 percent of teen mothers finish high school (Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation Rates). The 60 percent of teen mothers

Teenage pregnancy may not be one of the bigger issues of the world, like war or drug abuse, but it still holds credibility. It also does not have a high declining rate. All of the world teenagers still get pregnant, whether it be by a small or high percentage, and the government has no way to stop it. However, the government can control what happens afterwards, when the baby is born. Obviously, teens would have trouble in raising a baby on their own because they are not yet adults so they need both financial and supportive help. So the government created Acts to help and states carried out assistance programs as well. However, there has been controversy in whether or not teenage mothers deserve all of this help. Teenage mothers should be

One community member, Jay Coffelt, is a long-term resident of Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri. Jay is passionate about researching and awareness of issues like teen pregnancy at the county, state, and national levels. Although not directly involved as a parent of a pregnant teen and not being a teen himself, Mr. Coffelt’s community passion is beneficial in providing insight to the level of community empowerment present in Jackson County, Missouri with regards to a major health issue like teen pregnancy. From a community members’ perspective, it was noted that there seems to be a lack of resources available to pregnant teens and their families as well as a lack of ways community members can be involved in the issue. When asked about his ability to participate in decision making regarding teen pregnancy or to attend forums discussing teen pregnancy, Mr. Coffelt was unsure if those resources were available to him. Another important finding from Mr. Coffelt’s interview was the frequent comparisons he made to an adjacent county in Kansas. Having lived in both counties, Mr. Coffelt was able to recall more available resources, awareness, and guidance for teen health and community members in the adjacent Kansas county compared to Jackson County in Missouri. Through the interview, it was determined that Mr. Coffelt felt an increased level of empowerment. According to Clark, “...empowered individuals gain new skills and power to influence others and to affect the outcomes of

Healthcare access is a major public policy initiative to improve mothers and children's health access and utilization which began with Medicaid expansions in the 1980s and then came along (CHIP) Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997. Greater access to prenatal care provided by Medicaid has not contributed to the declines in infant health disparities (Dubay, Joyce, Kaestner, & Kenney, 2001: Epstein & Newhouse, 1998). Studies suggest that Medicaid and CHIP the expansion has contributed to the declines in most mortalities for the external causes for children 6 to 17 years of age, but has not been resulted in the decrease in the mortality diseases between the white and black children (Howell, et al., 2010). Access to high-quality health care still remains an important goal for infants, children, and young women. To get high-quality care, Maternal Child Health population needs health insurance to help cover most of their benefits when it comes to providers and

Bad news to see the growing disparity between the pregnancy rate of students in higher income white communities compared to power income communities to color. Approximately 70% of teenagers girls who give birth leaves school. Not everybody are open to the birth control products like others. They either leave schools so they can take of their kids or either were judge and like it. When having a kid you need to have time for them , as a student that has to go to school , work. Birth control could help them more. When they drop out of school , they likely face a life of economic in security ( Mangel ). Theses pregnancy rates play a key role in the significant disparity in high school graducation rates between these same groups of teen girls ( Mangel ). More than any other group of high school dropouts , girls who leave due to pregnancy report that would have stayed in school if they had recevied greater support from the adults at school ( Mangel

The purpose of this essay is to describe the effectiveness of the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention grant program. This work will address how the project will provide culturally-competent care and describe a detailed plan for monitoring the progress of this program. Also included is a plan that can be used to evaluate the intervention process in terms of efficiency, acceptability and effectiveness.

Teenage birth rates, defined as live births per one thousand 15-19-year-old US females, declined by 10% from 2012 to 2013 from 29.4 to 26.5. In fact, the birth rate has been on a steady decline over the past 20 years, from 61.8 in 1991 to 26.5 in 2013. Teenage pregnancy represents both a health and social inequality in our society. Specifically, teenage childbearing is a public health issue because teenage mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is a self-reinforcing cycle, as children of teenage mothers face higher chances of poor academic achievement as well as getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant in their teenage years (CDC). Although the overall rates of teenage pregnancy have dropped, ultimately, the variations in the rates reflect the intersecting disparities regarding race and ethnicity, income inequality, geography, and environmental factors, which in turn affect access to medical care, education, and resources.

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood are often seen as strictly negative and problematic, with the moral panic surrounding them only growing as media and government play a role in perpetuating these ideas of negativity surrounding them. Though it is a contentious issue, what are often ignored are the underlying causes of the social phenomena that are teenage pregnancy and parenthood. The experiences of poverty and social exclusion by many pregnant teens and teen parents have not been proven to be more severe than what these young people were experiencing before, so it brings into question the validity of the moral panic as well as the aims of programs meant to decrease teen pregnancy and parenthood. Looking at teen pregnancy and parenthood, first

One of the primary reasons that low-income students are more likely to give birth than other students is because they have low expectations for their future. Teenagers who give birth are

It might reduce the number the number of pregnancies and births as young women found other outlets of their energies and activities which would be hindered by pregnancy and childbearing. (U. S Cogressional Budget Office, 1985) Believe there are some controversies that exists to what motivates adolescent to avoid sexual activity and early parenthood. They state that there is a belief that many adolescents particularly those who are poor have no motivation to avoid early parenthood as they do not feel employment opportunities offer them an alternative way of life. This indicates that employment opportunities are vital and should be provided especially to at-risk

One solution to help solve teenage pregnancy is help find shelters which provide education for those who are in low-income environments or are in the foster care system which would reduce the rate of teens under the age of 19 from becoming pregnant. These shelters could provide help in finding work to help cover the cost of medical needs and other expenses. The shelters could find doctors who are willing to work with teenagers with lower-incomes or provide lower cost for treatment for teenagers in foster care. By doing this, the teenagers who are in foster care that are two and half times more likely to become pregnant would benefit and would be less likely to become pregnant. The shelter could also provide a means of helping pay for the cost of contraception and how they could be obtained. Foster parents or those who help with the teenagers in foster care could offer advice and education from personal experiences and personal struggles to help the teenagers avoid the consequences of becoming a teenage parent. Opposers would argue that foster care helpers should not offer free money to teenagers and those should find work on their own. Opposers would also argue that taxes paid by the foster care and shelter should not focus on teenage pregnancy but focus on more important manners such as better facilities and health benefits for the employees. This may be true however, it is more important that teens are well cared for and are properly educated on important health issues

Almost all teen pregnancies are unplanned. According to the National Center of Health Statistics, there was 4,081 births to females under age twenty in Minnesota in the year 2010(qtd, in"Minnesota Adolescent Reproductive Health Facts"). Teen pregnancy is a huge issue in the United States and around the world. Another big reason for educating children about sex at such a young age is because of the high cost of teen pregnancy. According to an analysis by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, teen childbearing in the United States cost taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $9.4 billion in 2010. Health care costs and the costs to raise a child are only rising. The better we educate the children, the less unplanned pregnancies there will

Like Amy and Loeber (2009), when it comes to the ecological paradigm of teenage pregnancy, Corcoran, Franklin, and Bennett (2000) also believe one’s socioeconomic status is a huge factor that contributes to this problem. A person’s socioeconomic status a lot of times determines “education, expanded family size, single-parent household structure, and lessened resources in terms of employment and income.” These three authors claim that educational performance and goals “dictate the potential costs of child bearing at a young age.” Their studies have also shown that teenage girls’ relationships with the school setting and poorer performance in school serve a greater risk for adolescent pregnancy.

Teen pregnancy is a very controversial social issue and the vast majority of Americans consider the outrageous rate of teen pregnancies a severe issue, certainly a problematic occurrence that is believed to be a moral decline in our country. Teenagers are physiologically capable of reproducing but not emotionally or financially prepared to be parents at such a tender age. Through various research studies a plethora of determinants has pin pointed teens unprecedented pregnancies. One cause of this problem is the apparent indication of social separation or disadvantage. Within this issue you would find poverty, single parent households, educational disadvantages on the parents behalf, a lack family/parental support, and unemployment. A child’s educational performance, inappropriate sexual acts, and inferior apprehensions about their futures play a vital role in teen pregnancies as well. Amongst the listed disadvantages the three that take precedent are lacks of family communication, sexual abuse, and poverty. Furthermore, teen mothers do not fit the ideal ideology of the normative scheduling of motherhood, therefore, ultimately resulting in negative consequences for them and society. What needs to be understood is, as to why the numbers of teens are becoming parents at such a vernal age.