Teenage PregnancyEssay title: Teenage PregnancyIn the US, teen pregnancy rates have been decreasing in the last decade even though current rates remain twice as high as those found in other industrialized nations (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994). In spite of decreasing rates, among African American teenagers, the pregnancy rate is particularly high. In 1996, the pregnancy rate was 178.9 per thousand among African-American females aged 15 to 19 years, compared with a pregnancy rate of 82.6 among whites (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999). Additionally, on the basis of the findings of the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, it was determined that African American females (48%) aged 15 to 17 were more likely than their white (34%) counterparts to have had sexual intercourse since menarche. On the basis of information provide by the National Center for Health Statistics (1997), African-American females aged 15 to 19 were more likely than their white peers to have had their first sexual experience (i.e., intercourse) without using effective contraception (24% versus 14%, respectively). Consequently, on the basis of such risky behavior, African American teenagers are at greater risk than their white peers for experiencing a pregnancy.
pregnant, especially if it was with the babys father. A concluded by Harris, most of the mothers believed that sexual intercourse was a behavior they were going to continue to engage in, regardless of threat of disease or pregnancy. As compared to the adolescent fathers participating in the study, Harris reported that most of the fathers indicated that they were now engaging in protected sex.
Environmental InfluencesAs many have suggested, while engagement in unprotected sexual intercourse at an early age places adolescents at risk for pregnancy, there are a number of other factors that influence African American teen pregnancy rates. According to Dervarics (2004), African American teen mothers and fathers are often represented among the rising number of minority “disconnected” youth in the US. This group is comprised of teens ages 16 to 19 who are both out of school and out of work. Dervarics reported that nearly
A quarter of African Americans ages 18 to 19 falls into the disconnected category. As a consequence of being disconnected, as explained by the author, African American youth find themselves facing the risk of living their lives on societys margins. By age 20, many of these youth are challenged as they face adulthood unprepared, unsupported and with little hope that the future will be any different than that which they have already experienced.
As reported by Dervarics (2004), disconnected teens are most often those youth who are high school dropouts, young parents, and juvenile offenders. Dervarics indicated that in 2003, 8 percent of U.S. residents ages 16 to 19, about 1.4 million youth, were not in school and not holding a job, with the number of disconnected youth among African Americans and Hispanics at 12 percent, double the rate for whites. The extensive presence of minority youth in the disconnected population has increasingly brought attention to what has now become identified as a traditionally “hidden” American problem.
Some of the factors identified by Dervarics (2004) as contributing to disconnection include the ongoing presence of a stagnating economy, with minority youth being those that are “the last hired, first fired, and last rehired.” Accompanying difficulties in the job market, as reported by Dervarics, African American youth also are experiencing higher-than-expected school dropout rates overall, particularly in urban areas with large numbers of minority youth. However, as noted by Dervarics, of even greater concern are those youth between ages 18 and 19, who are at the outer edge of the traditional age for high school attendance. Among this group, 23 percent of African Americans and 20 percent of Hispanics were not in school and not working last year, with these figures have risen 10 percent since 2000.
Lardner (2005) reported that a major factor that influences teen pregnancy amongst African American youth is associated with the harsh realities of being a member of a disadvantaged population. Most teen mothers are poor at the time of their pregnancy and continue to remain in poverty status after the birth of their child, suggesting that their children will fare badly regardless of the childbearing age of their parent. According to Lardner, among African-Americans nationwide, babies born to first-time mothers between 15 and 19 actually enjoy better health than babies born to first-time mothers in their twenties; however, in poor urban areas, disadvantage leads to substantial problems associated with teen pregnancy. As Lardner explained, this reality is evidence within considering the fact that the infant mortality rate for teen mothers in Harlem is 11 deaths
The prevalence of low birth weight of African-American childbearing age and the birth center and birthing centers that provide birth to black women are a major source of barriers to access to safe, healthy and supportive family, educational, healthcare and other services for African-American children, as well as their potential economic and social disadvantage.
What is the role of non-discrimination against African-American children for racial health care workers?
If state and local labor laws in other states require discrimination, African-American workers are asked to provide safe and quality medical care for their African-American family members
What is the health care needs of African-American children and youth?
Children of African-Americans are required to undergo physical examinations
When can a worker be denied health benefits?
What is the health risks to African-American children in the U.S.? According to a recent Gallup poll, 55% of the U.S. population ages 25-49 are African-American, compared with a lower rate of 34% in non-Hispanic white, black and Hispanic racial age groups. Many African-American workers experience problems in caring for their African-American and Latino children, which is a significant problem for African-American workers.
How frequently does black women receive medical care from a worker?
In 2006, 18% of black women reported receiving medical and social services from a non-Hispanic white worker, compared to only 7% of white male workers, which correlates with lower health care support levels (Bach-Jackson et al., 2006; Sperling and Taggart, 2005; Kattler, et al., 2006). A typical black female worker receives 8% to 10% of her pay from black sources.
More than half of African-American college graduates (46.5%) have no training in nursing or attending nursing schools. At least one third of African-American graduate students (14.1%), including 9% of white graduate students, have dropped out of a nursing program in college. At least 1 in 7 African-American college graduates (31.3%), including 22.4%, graduate from an African-American university (Bach-Jackson et al., 2006; Sperling and Taggart, 2005; Kattler, et al., 2006).
Women in certain occupations are less likely to receive prenatal care and fewer women are seeking health care services from a non-Hispanic white or black employer (Bach-Jackson et al., 2006).
Women in certain jobs may receive benefits from a healthcare organization
It is important to recognize a number of important roles in caring for Black children: parents, caregivers, legal guardians, caregivers and legal representatives (Etherton et al., 1991; Dardenhill-Hendricks and Wood, 1972). In addition to providing care to children, the black nurse’s job often includes helping manage personal needs such as transportation and family finances. Black parents are expected to provide children with care and health care.
Most American mothers receive supplemental financial assistance which can be used to pay off children’s college tuition.
Black mothers typically have less formal childcare responsibilities and most of their children are not expected to be able to do as many important household chores, such as cooking and laundry for their large families (Mickler and Miller, 1984; Tutti et al., 1991).
Maternal experience with the health care system
Young African-American mothers have a higher rate of