1. TEEN PREGNANCY
Community Wellness Project
Amelia Castañeda
The topic I have chosen to generate
awareness of in my community is teen
pregnancy. I consider this to be a very
important issue because according to
statistics, 34 percent of teenagers
become pregnant before they turn 20.
This rates are very alarming because
most of these girls neither obtain a high
school diploma nor a college degree.
Also, most
of these women end up on welfare
which costs the United States 7 billion
dollars annually.

2. RECENT STATISTICS & FACTS:
- Five years ago, the U.S. pregnancy rate among girls
between 15 and 19 was 67.8 per 1,000, according to the
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted
Pregnancy.
-In the most recently released teen pregnancy statistics, it
was reported that in 2006 the number of pregnant teens is
reaching about 80 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15 to
19, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
- More and more teens think it is OK for an unmarried
female to have a baby, according to a recent government
survey .
- About 17 percent of teen girls say they use the rhythm
method to time sexual activities around certain days in the
month to avoid the days where they are the most fertile
and likely to get pregnant. This is based on teen pregnancy
statistics from the Center for Disease Control.
- About 750,000 teens become pregnant each year.
- Almost one-third of teen girls will become pregnant.
- Among industrial or developed nations, the United States

3. has the highest rate of teen pregnancy, teen parenthood,
and teen abortions.
- About half of U.S. teens are sexually active. Of those who
are sexually active, more are having sex at a younger age,
which increases the risk of teen pregnancy and sexually
transmitted disease.
- About a quarter of teen mothers have a second baby
within two years of the first.
- Teens who choose to have teen sex are more likely to use
a condom than in the 1980s, and less likely to use less
effective methods of birth control and STD protection.
- Most teens who use birth control pills do not use any
other method of protection, and many teens are
inconsistent in their use of the pill.
HOW IT AFFECTS THE COMMUNITY:
- The NCPTP reports that teen childbearing costs taxpayers

4. at least $9 billion each year, including public sector health
care costs, increased child welfare costs, prison costs and
lost tax revenue.
- According to the NCPTP, 67 percent of families begun by
a teen mother live in poverty, and 52 percent of all
mothers currently on welfare had their first child as a
teenager.
- PBS reports that sons of teen moms are 13 percent more
likely to end up in prison, increasing crime as well as prison
costs.
- Since most teen parents have low levels of education,
their kids are most likely to have a low level of education
too.
- Parenthood is the leading reason that teen girls drop out
of school. More than half of teen mothers never graduate
from high school which makes the community lose many
professionals every year.
- Girls born to teen parents are at increased risk for
becoming teen mothers.
- Some recent cost studies estimate that the cost may be

5. as high as $28 billion per year or an average of $5,500 for
each teen parent.
- As more girls continue to get pregnant, it has been
shown in recent studies that it influences younger sisters
and cousins to follow the same path, viewing it as a
normal thing.
THE SIGNS:
The most common one is a missed
menstrual period. Others include:
Nausea or vomiting

6. Unusual fatigue
Frequent urination
Unusual mood swings
PREVENTION:
In order to avoid unplanned pregnancies, it
is essential for adolescents who are sexually
active to use effective contraceptives (such
as condoms, birth control pills, the patch,
the vaginal ring, the IUD, and injectable
birth control methods) and to use them
every time they have sex.

7. Another essential part of teen pregnancy
prevention is helping teens develop goals
and educating them about the
consequences of sexual activity.
ISSUES:
1) Single Parenting: most common issue teen
mothers face.
2) Prenatal Care: most mothers do not receive the
proper vitamins and overall care she and her baby
need.
3) Child Support: in most cases, the father don't have
a job so this will rely on the government and the
taxpayers.
OPTIONS:

8. 1) Adoption
2) Teen Marriage
3) Abortion (most of the time not safe and not
recommended by doctors)
TYPES OF BIRTH CONTROL:
1) Abstinence: Not having any type of sex
until you're married.
2) Birth Control Pill: Can be taken daily, also
called oral contraception.
3) Birth Control Implant: A thin, flexible
plastic implant that protects against
pregnancy for up to three years.
4) Birth Control Patch: A thin, beige, plastic
patch that sticks to the skin. A new patch is
placed on the skin once a week for three
weeks in a row, followed by a patch-free

9. week.
RESOURCES:
Teenage Parent Program
Gigi Major
Email: gmajor@elcmdm.org
Telephone: 305-646-7220 ext 256
Mobile: 305-803-1267
C.O.P.E. Center North (Provides education
for teen parents.)
9950 N.W. 19th Avenue
Miami, Florida. 33147
Phone: 305-836-3300

10. Fax:305-835-8818
After viewing this slideshow, it is
easy to identify the dangers of
teen pregnancy. Every parent,
religious or not religious, should
talk to their teen about sex and
their risks. If you don't know how
to guide your teen, then take them
to their primary doctor! For the
teen reading this, do not engage in
sexual activity until you're fully
informed so you can prevent STD's

11. and an unplanned pregnancy!