title: But We're Not Like the People on TV: A Qualitative Examination of How Media Messages are Perceived by Pregnant and Parenting Youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The media has long been established as influential in the formation of youth attitudes. It remains unknown, however, whether popular media depictions of teenage pregnancy and motherhood shape the meanings pregnant and parenting youth (PPY) construct. This study explored PPY's perceptions of media messages portraying PPY.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five focus groups were conducted at three urban centres that service pregnant youth and young parents. Convenience sample of 26 participants was recruited across sites. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were a mean age of 18.7 years. Participants felt that the storylines in television reality programs featuring PPY were highly incongruent with their lived experiences and that these representations glamorized teenage pregnancy while failing to capture other realities, such as financial hardship. Further, it was felt that such representations informed public opinion and created a double standard for teen parents. Participants felt that healthcare providers were not immune to media messaging; some participants reported withdrawing socially and others delayed accessing health services because of what they perceived as negative media-fuelled public views.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the need for heightened awareness of the influence of popular media on the portrayal of PPY. Acknowledging and challenging stereotypes of teen pregnancy, as well as initiating dialogue with youth about the impact media has on their lives should be encouraged as a means of facilitating ongoing engagement with health care services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. mharrison@cheo.on.ca.|Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada. mharrison@cheo.on.ca.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantalle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clarkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Worth
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.|Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rohde
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Adolescent parenting; Adolescent pregnancy; Media