title: Perceptions assessment of a group of Puerto Rican pregnant adolescents regarding the susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers of teenage pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This assessment was aimed at describing the perceptions of a group of Puerto Rican pregnant adolescents regarding the susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers of adolescents pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A non probabilistic sample of 71 adolescents that receive prenatal services at a hospital in the greater metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 50.7% of the participants had a moderated high susceptibility perception and 53.5% had a high severity perception. In general, 70.4% of the participants perceived that the prenatal care during the adolescent pregnancy is highly beneficial and 60.0% had a low barriers perceptions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The assessment specifically demonstrated the need to create permanent educational programs in hospitals and schools. It is important that the health professionals develop basic educational strategies to procure effective behavior modification in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Health Education Program, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-5067.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Santos Ortiz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lebrón de Avilés
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Dávila Torres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011295:Prenatal Care