Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Teenage Pregnancy: Perspectives from Teens and Community Members in Connecticut

BACKGROUND: Connecticut (CT) has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the United States; however, a great disparity exists between whites and other ethnicities. Black teens are 4-5 times more likely and Hispanic teens are 8 times more likely to give birth compared to whites. The risks of teen pregnancy, namely school dropout and low birth weight, in these minority groups call for interventions that move toward the elimination of disparities. The objectives of our research are to: 1) Formulate an action plan to identify community partnerships to assist Planned Parenthood (PP) in reducing teen pregnancy disparities in CT; 2) Determine the risk of teen pregnancy attributable to race/ethnicity in three cities of interest.

METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with teen peer educators. One hour sessions were conducted at PP facilities. Key informant interviews were conducted by phone with staff at local health facilities. Atlas.ti and Statistical Programming Software Packages were used to analyze results from qualitative and quantitative findings. Region specific teen birth data was used to calculate population attributable risk.

RESULTS: Three focus group sessions were completed with a 22 adolescent participants (14 female, ages 15-21). Seventeen (77%) respondents self-identified as African American. More than 50% of session attendees were aware of all birth control forms. Condoms (64%) and abstinence (36%) were the most common types used. Respondents attributed teen pregnancy to desire for pregnancy, perceived invincibility, lack of knowledge and family precedent.  Respondents indicated that a more substantial presence from peer educators and improved school sex education could have an impact on reducing teen pregnancy in minorities. Two key informants expressed concerns with lack of support to finish school, cultural beliefs towards teen pregnancy, faith/religion as a barrier, and support from the community to tackle this issue. Key informants echoed the focus group sentiments that school sex education was inadequate. A large percentage of teen births could be eliminated if racial disparities were removed, most notably 73.2% in New Haven.

CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of our qualitative research revealed themes of inadequate education and educational resources in area schools. Parent groups, health centers and faith-based organizations provide potential opportunities for partnership and access to teen behavior modifiers. Results from this research provide information with individual and community centric perspectives to PP regarding the necessary steps to design programs aimed at reducing disparities in teen birth rates in Connecticut.