Bebe a Bordo: Teenage Pregnancy in Maverick County

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Bebe a Bordo Teenage Pregnancy in Maverick
County

• Presentation by Daniela De Luna
• University of Notre Dame

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Teen Pregnancy in the U.S.

• Overall teenage pregnancy in the United States
  has been on the decline over the last couple of
  decades.
• Yet, the rate for Hispanic teens is declining
  slower than for other ethnic group.
• Issue
• Hispanics represent the fastest-growing
  demographic in the U.S.

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Hispanic Teen Pregnancy

• The Hispanic teen pop. 17 of the pop.
• Expected to reach 24 by 2025.
• (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Hispanics had the highest teen birth rate in
  2003,
• 82.2 births per 1,000 teen females aged 15-19.
• The rate for teens of all backgrounds was 41.7.
• Non-Hispanic white teens was 27.5.
• Non-Hispanic black teens was 64.8.
• (Ryan, et al. 2005)

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Mexican origin teen birth

• Mexican-origin teens have highest birthrates
  among Hispanics.
• Differences can be accounted for by several
  factors.
• Socioeconomic status
• Immigration histories
• Educational attainment
• Other
• (Ryan, et al 2005)

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Maverick County

• Geographic location
• Consists of Eagle Pass, Quemado, Rosita Valley,
  and El Indio
• Located on the Rio Grande River, next to Piedras
  Negras, Mx.
• Demographics
• Pop. 48, 648
• 95.1 Latino, primarily of Mexican decent.

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Selected Stats
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Social Consequences

• Education
• Shorter years of educational completion for
  teenage parents.
• (Kirby, D. 2001)
• More often single parents.
• Of those who do marry, 60 are divorced within
  five years.
• (Healthy People 2010 2000)
• Poverty
• Experience poverty more frequently and are
  disproportionately over-represented as welfare
  recipients.
• (Robin Hood Foundation 1996)
• Higher incidence of harm towards children.
• Have children who are more likely to suffer from
  illnesses, injuries, abuse and neglect.
• (Robin Hood Foundation 1996)

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Question

• What accounts for a higher rate of teenage
  pregnancy among Mexican American girls?
• Possible factors
• Education
• Communication/Language
• Regional setting
• Socioeconomic status
• Family
• Religion
• Healthcare
• Access to information

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The Study Hypothesis

• Sexual activity and pregnancy cannot be solely
  attributed to one factor, it is the interaction
  of culture, family values, education, and
  socioeconomic status.

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Methodology

• Personal questionnaires distributed among high
  school age girls.
• Questions addressed family background, language,
  socioeconomic status, educational goals,
  religious values

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Participants

• 111 returned a questionnaire
• 27- 9th grade
• 12-10th
• 36-11th
• 31-12th
• Virginity
• 71- virgins
• 19- non-virgins
• Pregnant
• 7 Have been pregnant
• 5 Have children

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Variables

• Independent
• Cultural
• Socioeconomic
• Family values
• Education
• Religious

• Dependent
• Sex talk
• Sexual Activity
• Pregnancy

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Sexual Activity

• What is your reason for abstaining?

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Sex Talk

• Have your parents talked to you about sex?

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Sex Talk Age

• At what age did you get the sex talk?

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Sex Talk

• Has your mother talked to you about pregnancy?

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Language Sex talk

• How well does your mother speak English?

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Family

• How strict are your parents?

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Family

• Do you live with both parents?

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Family

• Do you have any siblings that have been teenage
  parents?

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Family

• What is your order of birth?

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Sex talk What were you told?

• The only thing was that if I got pregnant I
  would be kicked out of the house and caring for a
  baby is hard.
• Be careful, finish school first
• Sex only to be done after marriage. Pregnancy
  After marriage. Sexual relations do not do.
• They told me to wait until I get married and to
  always use protection.
• To not open my legs and to not believe anyone.

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Cultural Place of birth

• Where were you born?

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Cultural

• Are you allowed to date?

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Religious

• How important is it to be married before you have
  a baby?

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Education

• How important is it to finish H.S.?

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Sex Education

• Of those who had sex ed, how many learned about
  contraceptives?
• Did you talk about contraceptives in you sex ed
  class?

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Socioeconomic/Family

• Does your mother work full time or part-time?

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Socioeconomic

• Have you received government assistance?

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Policy Implications

• Social costs
• 2, 424 The average cost of a delivery
• Poverty
• Experience poverty more frequently and are
  disproportionately over-represented as welfare
  recipients.(Robin Hood Foundation, 1996).
• Education
• Shorter years of educational completion for
  teenage parents (Kirby, D. 2001)
• Single Parenthood
• Of those who do marry, 60 are divorced within
  five years. (Healthy People 2010, 2000)
• Higher incidence of harm towards children.
• Have children who are more likely to suffer from
  illnesses, injuries, abuse and neglect. (Robin
  Hood Foundation, 1996)

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Additional Suggestions

• Incorporate workshops/forums about sexual
  education, and higher education for families
  receiving government assistance.
• Include discussion in yearly doctors checkups
  starting at age 12-13.

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Policy Suggestions

• Develop programs that specifically target Latino
  issues.
• Spanish-language programs
• Cultural attitudes
• Religious beliefs
• Level of acculturation
• Role of family and community in their lives.
• Provide correct and useful information on
  contraception.
• Encourage abstinence.
• Avoid multiple teen birth through family planning.

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Sources

• Ryan, Suzanne, Ph.D., Kerry Franzetta and
  Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D. Hispanic Teen Pregnancy
  and Birth Rates Looking Behind the Numbers.
  Child Trends Research Briefs. 2005 Feb.
  www.childtrends.org/Files/HispanicRB.pdf
• U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1990). United States
  population estimates by age, sex, race, and
  Hispanic Origin (Current population Reports,
  Series P-25, No. 1045). Washington, DC U.S.
  Government Printing Office
• East, Patricia. (1998). Racial and Ethnic
  Differences in Girls Sexual, Marital, and Birth
  Expectations. Journal of Marriage and the
  Family, 60, 1, 150-162). 90).
• Healthy People 2010. (2000). Family Planning
  On-line. Availablewww.health.gov/healthypeople/
  Document/HTML/Volume1/09Family.htm

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Sources cont.

• Hurtado, Aida. (2003). Voicing Chicana
  Feminisms Young Women Speak Out on Sexuality
  and Identity. New York NYU Press.
• Kirby, D. (2001). Emerging Answers Research
  Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy,
  p. 5-20. Washington DC The National Campaign to
  Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
• Reynoso, T.C., Felice, M.E., Shragg, G.P.
  (1993). Does American acculturation affect
  outcome of Mexican-American teenage pregnancy?
  Journal of Adolescent Health, 14, 257-261.
• Robin Hood Foundation Maynard, R.A. (Ed.).
  (1996). Kids Having Kids. New York, NY Robin
  Hood Foundation.
• Texas Department of State Health Services. Teen
  Pregnancy Prevention 2005. http//www.dshs.state.t
  x.us/famplan/tpp.shtm
• www.jsri.msu.edu/museum/pubs/MexAmHist/chapter
  21.html

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Education

• Would your parents encourage you to leave Eagle
  Pass for college?

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Sex Talk Mothers education
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Sex as a Taboo

• Parents talk about pregnancy, but not sex.
• Teens are uniformed about the consequences, or
  proper precautions.
• Many parents to first generation Americans, are
  used to young parenthood.
• Avoid discussions about sexual violence
• Increased incidents of rape, many go unreported.
• Shame
• Protect family
• maintain reputation

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Second Generation Mexican American

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, teenage
  childbearing is more than twice as common among
  U.S. born Mexican-American mothers (12) than
  among Mexican born mothers (5).
• (U.S. Census Bureau).

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Education

• Hispanics have the highest rate of high school
  dropouts.
• (Hurtado 2005)
• Teenage parenting often averts or postpones
  education for both girls and boys.
• While 7 out of 10 teen mothers eventually
  complete high school or receive a GED, they are
  less likely than girls who delay childbearing to
  go on to college.
• Texas Dept. of State Health Services/Guttmacher
  Institute

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Sex Ed in Schools

• Abstinence only
• Recent study finds that these programs do not
  have an impact on sexual activity.
• Plumbing
• Reproductive organs
• Nothing about STDs, already sex.
• Parents provide the greatest source of resistance
  to keeping a holistic approach outside of the
  classroom.

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Religion

• About a quarter of Roman Catholics in the United
  States are Hispanics.
• www.jsri.msu.edu/museum/pubs/MexAmHist/chapter
  21.html
• Abstinence before marriage.
• Even though sexuality is considered an important
  component of a relationship, it is usually
  maintained outside of catechism classes.
• Usually at parents requests.

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Problem

• In many cases Mexican-American teens want to
  imitate the freedom of their American
  counterparts, but oftentimes do not have all the
  correct information to make good choices.
• Mexican-born parents have a tendency to avoid
  discussions pertaining to sex with their American
  born children.
• Pregnancy prevention programs do not always take
  into account cultural factors.