Chicago Tribune Examines Illinois Program Aimed At Preventing Repeat Teen Pregnancies

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 01 Apr 2009 - 7:00 PDT


The Chicago Tribune on Sunday profiled a state-funded teen pregnancy prevention organization, the Illinois Subsequent Pregnancy Project, which is "one of the few adolescent programs in the nation that zeroes in on delaying a second pregnancy." The Tribune reports that "[t]he debate over sex education is once again on a front burner," after the release of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showing that teen birth rates increased for the second year in a row in 2007, after a 14-year decline. The Illinois Subsequent Pregnancy Project uses a message of "[f]inish high school, be a good mom and don't get pregnant again" and provides "consistent, hands-on help to teenage mothers," the Tribune reports. Pat Mosena, who founded the project, said, "You can't talk to kids about using contraception without explaining what's in it for them," adding that the organization's message to pregnant teens is, "You don't have to let it sabotage your life." Mosena, a demographer by training, based the group's model on research on teens receiving government subsidies. The Tribune reports that in the U.S., one in five teens who become pregnant will have a second pregnancy before age 20, and nearly a third of those teens will give birth within two years of their first pregnancy. The project has reached about 3,000 participants and reports that 3% of teens involved had a second pregnancy while in the program, while 85% remained in school or graduated. According to the Tribune, "The linchpin of the effort is an intense bond between the young mothers and the home visitors who assist them" to provide mentoring, help with school and other support in a one-on-one relationship. Participants also attend a peer support group to discuss birth control and other topics. Referrals for the program come from physicians, social service agencies and school counselors.

The Tribune also profiled a teenager and a case worker who are involved in the program (Miller Rubin, Chicago Tribune, 3/29).

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