title: Down With Teen Pregnancy, Up With Mobility: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Efforts in Gaston County, North Carolina.
abstract: Unintended pregnancies are typically associated with poor health outcomes for mothers and babies, and they also limit the social mobility of women and their families. Gaston County has achieved great success in reducing both teen pregnancies and unintended pregnancies among low-income women through the Gaston Youth Connected project and the local health department's push to increase accessibility to long-acting reversible contraception. Reductions in the racial disparities in teen pregnancy rates, higher graduation rates for females, and fewer pregnancies among low-income women all indicate a potential for better reproductive health to increase the social mobility of Gaston County women. The ability to clearly connect health outcomes to long-term social improvements helps create sustainable community buy-in and should be a priority in public health initiatives.
authors.affiliation: director, Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, Gastonia, North Carolina chris.dobbins@gastongov.com.
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Dobbins
authors.affiliation: public information officer, Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, Gastonia, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Brittain N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Kenney
authors.affiliation: community health education administrator, Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, Gastonia, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Carrie E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.affiliation: medical director, Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, Gastonia, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Velma V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Taormina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D000075523:Long-Acting Reversible Contraception / Q000379:methods*; D009657:North Carolina; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012937:Social Mobility; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors