Parent, Teacher, and School Stakeholder Perspectives on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programming for Latino Youth

Abstract

Teen pregnancy remains a public health concern particularly among Latinos, whose pregnancy rate of 83.5 per 1000 girls constitutes one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States. To enhance the effectiveness of interventions for diverse Latino populations in the US, it is crucial to assess the community's understanding of the etiology of the problem of adolescent pregnancy and to implement programs that reflect the local community's beliefs and preferences. We present findings from six focus groups held with parents (n = 18), teachers (n = 23) and school stakeholders (n = 8) regarding teen pregnancy prevention among Latino youth at a high school located in a large, Midwestern city. Two investigators analyzed data iteratively using a template organizing approach. A consensus emerged across the groups regarding content that emphasized respect for oneself and one's family, a focus on personal and shared responsibility in reproductive health behavior, information about the "realities" or consequences associated with engaging in sexual activity, and information about contraceptives. The strong request from participants to include a parental education component reflects the community's belief that parents play a crucial, protective role in the socialization and development of adolescent sexual behavior, a view that is supported by empirical research. Findings highlight the importance of involving local school communities in identifying adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies that are responsive to the community's cultural values, beliefs, and preferences, as well as the school's capacity and teacher preferences.

Factors associated with the awareness of contraceptive methods, understanding the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the perception of HIV/AIDS risk among secondary school students in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…In addition, parents play a key role in protecting the sexual and reproductive health of AYA because parental support is a reliable and easily available source for AYA [27][28][29] . Despite controversial views, a majority of the parents of AYA appreciated school-based comprehensive sexuality education 30) .…”

Secondary school students’ awareness of contraceptive methods, understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention and perception of HIV/AIDS risk in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…In addition, parents are key people to protect the sexual and reproductive health of AYA because parental support is available and reliable for AYA [21,22,23]. Despite controversial views, the majority of AYA's parents appreciated school-based comprehensive sexuality education [24].…”

Parents involvement and barriers of programme interventions to reduce adolescent pregnancy

“…Primary health education is parents, but health education needs to be school based to improve reproductive health education and support the supervision of young people in the school area. Schoolbased reproductive health education can be done with the availability of school counselors or psychologists to communicate appropriately with teenagers (Johnson-Motoyama et al, 2016) b) Open Communication Between Parents And Children Healthy communication requires confidence and open expression. Open communication as a form of building trust between parents and teenagers, so that teens can share problems and ask questions and parents can trust youth decision making.…”