Update on adolescent pregnancy in the Black community.
Adolescent pregnancy is a social issue that severely jeopardizes the quality of life for young parents and their children. It is estimated that if fertility rates remain unchanged, the United States will see a 26% increase in the number of adolescent pregnancies and births due to an increase in the adolescent population (Henshaw, 1996). With a disproportional rate of Black adolescents becoming pregnant, there is a need to examine factors related to the high adolescent pregnancy rate among the Black community. Black adolescent mothers and their children face additional adverse psychosocial effects due to healthcare disparities, a higher incidence of health problems, and an increase risk of financial hardship (Hogan, Astone, & Kitagawa, 1985; J. V. Horn, 1998; Morgan, Chapar, & Fisher, 1995). Although the teenage pregnancy rate has declined, it is important for practitioners to continue to implement interventions that promote abstinence and increase contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents.
Bryant
Kellie D
KD
School of Nursing, Long Island University, New York, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011584:Psychology