Introduction
The report proposal will discuss the needs for a program that focus around pregnancy, HIV/AID’s and STD awareness for girls ranging from 13 to 18 years of age. This will be based on young girls who are in schools and teens that have dropped out of school living in a poverty-stricken environment. The proposal will also discuss the population of the people the program would like to work with. The different challenges that can hurt the program and that may take place with the girls, the parents of the young ladies and finances. These issues may cause harm to the learning process when attempting to implement the program will be reported. The information will also focus on the theoretical rationale of the program and which theories from the literature are associated with the program. Marketing strategies equipment and the location for the program will be explained. I will also provide evaluations and provide resources used for the program.
Need for the Program
The urgency for this program is to reduce the rates of teenage pregnancies and major health problem caused by STD’s affecting teenage girls in poor communities. The goal is to educate the young ladies on the risk factors and the inevitable outcome. These subjects are touchy when it comes to speaking with teenagers. Many do not like to disclose information about themselves, especially those who have been very promiscuous.
Results from a national study demonstrated that community disadvantage increased the risk of nonnormative life events (school dropout, teenage pregnancy) during adolescence (controlling for family characteristics, race, and gender), which, in turn, were associated with adolescent depressive symptoms over time (Wickrama, Merten, & Elder, 2005). According to (Domenico, D. M., & Jones, K. H. 2007), there have been high levels of dependency on public assistance identified with poverty-stricken families of young adolescent mothers in America (National Center for Research in Vocational Education, 1992). Many Americans have believed that welfare will somehow encourage people, especially adolescent females, to have babies. It has been shown throughout history that this can become a cycle with families.
At risk circumstances associated with adolescent pregnancy include medical and health complications, less schooling and higher dropout rates, lower career aspirations, and a life encircled by poverty. (Domenico et al., 2007). When they do decide to have sex, we want them to make good decisions about doing so and have the knowledge about the decisions being made.
Target population
As a parent, talking about sexuality with teens can be a challenge. Sometimes parents are fearful about saying things that will embarrass the teen and at times themselves. Some parents feel they don’t know enough to be dependable and accurate information. This is where the program comes in. The program will target 13-18-year-old females that are being raised in a poverty-stricken environment.
From personal experience, I do believe it is easier to speak with someone other than a parent or guardian. By speaking to someone else, they can feel more comfortable and are possibly willing to be up about the discussion. The intent is not to take away from the parent but to give the teen the opportunity to share things they are not willing to share with others. The program will be focused around discussions and providing and receiving information on sex. The program is made up of several goals.
In my opinion, schools in poor communities lack the resources to provide the kids with quality educations. (Noni K Gaylord-Harden & Cady Berke, 2011) stated, there is evidence of poor education by low student achievement, amplified school failure, and high school dropouts. Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood are associated with social, health and financial costs to teen parents. Having a baby as a teen can disrupt their educational and career goals. According to (NCSL, 2018), about half of teen moms earn a high school diploma by age 22, compared to 90 percent of women without a teen birth. Young moms are additionally bound to live in poverty and rely on government assistance. Kids destined to youngster guardians are bound to have brought down school accomplishment, enter the tyke welfare and remedial frameworks, drop out of secondary school and wind up adolescent guardians themselves, contrasted with kids destined to more established guardians.
Need that the program addresses
We will be looking to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy and STD awareness in a community-based center. the girls need to know that they are not inferior because of their circumstances. They must understand that there are so many opportunities that await them. I don’t want to promote “no sex” because it is a possibility I will get some who will be resistant to receive information or guidance. I will let them know if possible to wait. The program will provide the tools they need to believe and respect themselves.
I would also like for the program to have classes to not only educate them on sex but life as well. I believe the two goes hand and hand. Those who do not have an education, can participate in the course and earn certificates for their accomplishments. With all these things offered, self-respect, healthier relationships, and communication will start to play a role in these young lady’s lives. (Glanz et al., 2015, pg.47) believed that, with perceived benefits, a person can perceive personal vulnerability to a serious health condition, whether awareness leads to behavior change and will be influenced by personal beliefs concerning apparent benefits.
Some believe that they are destined to be a product of their environment. Hence the saying when in Rome, do what the Romans do”. They must know, just because others their age are having sex and getting pregnant does not mean they have to do the same. They must understand that there is an exception to every rule. We would want them to make good decisions in their lives.
(Chan, L., Adam, B. M., Norazlin, K., Haida, M. S., Lee, V., Norazura, A.,Tan,& S. M.,2016) Stated that It has been distinguished that adolescent sexual practices are regarded as hazardous when they result in dangerous outcomes, for example, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual practices that expand the dangers of those negative results are additionally viewed as unsafe practices. Early sexual introduction (age under 15 years at first intercourse), numerous sexual accomplices and inconsistent condom use (Boislard, van de Bongardt, & Blais, 2016) (Cited by L. Chan et al., 2016). With regards to suicidal behavior, risky sexual behaviors such as inconsistent condom use and being diagnosed with an STI were significantly associated with suicide attempts in adolescents Houck et al., 2008 (Cited by Chan et al., 2016). Stephens & Holliday’s (2014) study among juvenile offenders found that suicidal ideation was significantly associated with having engaged in oral sex besides other non-sexual factors such as alcohol abuse and being incarcerated.
Yet despite plummeting rates, teen pregnancy and birth rates for teens ages 15-to-19 in the U.S. remain among the highest of industrialized nations. Roughly 1-in-4 girls will be pregnant at least once before age 20. And about 1-in-6 teen births are a repeat birth. In addition, significant disparities in teen birth rates persist across racial and ethnic groups, geographic regions, rural and urban areas, and age groups National conference of the state legislature (NCSL, 2018).
Statistics
The population will consist of teenage girls ranging from the age of 13-18 years of age. According to the (NCSL), as of 2016, the teen birth rate has peaked since 1991. There are 20.3 births per every 1,000 girls ages 15-to-19. These numbers represent a 9% drop from 2015. These number represents all racial and ethnic groups throughout 50 states.
(CDC, 2016) believes, 15–19-Year-Old Females In 2016 had the second highest rate of reported gonorrhea cases (482.1 cases per 100,000 females) compared with other age groups among women. During 2015–2016, the rate of reported gonorrhea cases for women in this age group increased 9.3% and decreased by 8.6% during 2012–2016. Children living in poverty are likely to show gradual declines in intelligence test scores and to achieve poorly when they reach school age (Berk, 2014).
(Domenico et al., 2007) believed that poverty is an additional consequence of adolescent pregnancy, often leading to poorer outcomes for adolescent mothers (Tripp & Viner, 2005). As many as 80% of unwed adolescent mothers grew up in extreme poverty and the likelihood their children will grow up in poverty is high. Many poverty-stricken adolescents accepted their pregnancy and viewed it as a means of improving their lives Rosen, 1997 (Cited by D. Domenico et al., 2007).
It is reasonable to conclude that a substantial portion of the 19 million new sexually transmitted disease infections that occur each year 22 exist among school-aged youth. The highest rates of chlamydia, the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States (2.8 million annual cases),22 occur among females aged 15-19 years.23 Minority youth are disproportionately affected by all sexually transmitted disease (CDC).
Program Challenges
Religion
Researchers have studied the influence of religion on attitudes about human sexuality from several different perspectives. A study conducted years ago, revealed that it is “not religion, per se, that influences sexual attitudes and behavior but sex guilt that resulted from early religious training or experience (Gunderson & McCary, 1997). This study reports that the intensity of religious belief has little bearing on sexual attitudes or behaviors if the individual experiences low or no sexual guilt. Sexual guilt has been a part of the Christian faith from its earliest days but became longstanding with the publication of the Regretful (Hawkes, 2007). The modern enthusiastic movement doesn’t allow for much gray area between what is right or wrong when it comes to sex.
According to (Chan, L., Adam, B. M., Norazlin, K., Haida, M. S., Lee, V., Norazura, A.Tan, S. M. 2016) adolescents from collectivist cultures tend to conform to more conservative sexual norms compared to adolescents from individualistic cultures (Boislard et al., 2016). Higher religiosity has been associated with less adolescent risky sexual behaviors i.e. delayed onset of sexual involvement and protective against suicidal behavior in the general population. Factors that influence adolescent sexual behaviors are complicated and culturally-dependent.
Religion is a hard thing to address. Especially if the adolescent is being taught not to have sex at all. I do not want the parents to believe I am promoting sex.
Sometimes as parents we do not want to face the reality that it’s a strong possibility my child is having sex. I think sometimes we don’t want to know. I want them to know it’s better to be safe than sorry. I understand this all too well. I grew up in a very religious home. we did not talk about sex at all and DEFINITELY never discussed pregnancy. Because of the lack of conversation, I myself was a teen mother.
Engaging parents
Poor participation rates living in a poverty-stricken community, many kids live in a one parent home. the custodial parent will usually be the provider of the home. when you come from a single parent home, many of the parents are not able to attend many functions with the child. On the other hand, you will have parents who are able, just chooses not to attend because it’s not a priority for them.
Being able to go to the homes and encourage the parents to be a part of the program. The girls will need all the support they can get. I believe change starts at home. having that support system will encourage them to go above and beyond.
Resources
I believe organizations attempting to input sex education program developments for urban youth can be challenging. There would be a need for both funding and technical assistance in program development. Developing a none profit organization receives the bulk of their funding from Corporate contributions, Foundation grants, Government grants, contracts etc. knowing where you can attempt to get funding from is the easy part. Being able to receive the funding needed to run the program the way you desire to it the hard part.
Being persistent is key. I will contact every red cross, major corporation, schools, churches and local companies in and out of the community. If I stay dedicated and persistent, I know I will get the resources I will need to run a great program.
Theoretical Rationale
(Glanz et al., 2015, pg.68) stated the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) focuses on the theoretical constructs concerned with individual motivational factors as determinants of the likelihood of performing a specific behavior. Teen pregnancy is associated with adverse educational, health, and economic outcomes for both mothers and children. Teens who become pregnant are less likely to complete high school or college, many are on a trajectory for these educational outcomes even before becoming pregnant (Basch, C. E.,2011). This puts them at a disadvantage when it comes time to find a good paying job. The evidence is clear. In the past two decades, the median income for college graduates has risen by 19%, while the median income for those who dropped out of high school has decreased by 28%.
Because of this learned behavior, the program can help break this cycle. You see this mentality throughout generations. Regardless of the struggles they observed, the learned behavior seems to continue. Observational learning comes from an awareness that most learning takes place because of the persons tendency to observe and imitate others behavior (Newman & Newman, 2016). Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of teen pregnancy. More than 60% of young, unmarried mothers live in households that qualify as being in poverty.
1 in 4 young mothers will go on a welfare benefit program within three years of their child being born. Being a teen mother also means having less access to educational programs, which ultimately affects their ability to provide later in life. This is a part of nurture development. nurture development stems from learned behavior. This is steaming from the child’s environment and upbringing (Zalazo, Zelazo & Kolb, 1972.). The Nature and Nurture article states that, between the two developments, the nurture development has more influence over the development of the child, more so in the child earlier years. When something or someone is nurtured, it is being assisted in growing, developing and learning.
Marketing Strategies
Knowledge alone doesn’t change sexual risk behaviors among youth. To do this, we need to influence risk and protective factors. That includes having an impact on attitudes, beliefs, perceived susceptibility and severity, and self-efficacy.
Socially market the program including the name you would use
The name of my program will be Alexia & Liya. Advocating Leadership Experience with Excellent Independent Accomplishments & Lending Information for Youth Awareness.
These are the names of my two daughters. Before the actual program doors are open, I would like to share information relating to your industry on social media and in the community. By doing this it will already give the community a since of what the project is planning on doing. I would need to build a relationship with the community and the target participants. Finding out which social media platform is a must as well.
Knowing which social sites 13-18-year-old girls frequent would be a must. Posting information on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram would be my social sites to focus on. I would like to create fliers for the community and have a social where the community can come out. The social will be very informative about the plans for the program. I believe this will help because its letting the people get to know who I am and what plans I have for the young ladies of their community.
According to Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. D. (2012), the arrival of social media has opened greater possibilities for interpersonal and organizational communication. At the interpersonal level, scholars have observed the role of Facebook in building social affluence. Twitter has also been the focus of a growing body of interpersonal research (e.g., Java, Song, Finin, & Tseng, 2007; Naaman, Boase, & Lai, 2010). Social media applications present communication opportunities that differ dramatically from organizationally supported websites. Teens frequent these sites. By promoting and marketing on social media, the program will gain recognition. Because social media can share and repost someone status more people are able to pass along the information. (Java et al., 2007), Twitter can serve as a vehicle for narcissism, opinion-making, and information-sharing. By contrast, studies by Hughes and Palen (2009) and Smith (2010) have shown how Twitter can serve as a valuable communication and information-sharing resource during emergency-relief efforts.
Social media can set a major platform to help share behavioral health messages. Providing access to different links, content and help lines will help increase program participation and future participation from the young ladies. The sites will show transparency to improve health communication efforts.
Program description you think would be most effective in reaching the target population
The Social Marketing Tool incorporated will be to find, different statistics on the issues at hand, websites geared toward adolescents, resources and other tools that can help with building the program every day. Positive youth development, comprehensive sexual health and safety information, skill building, GED and or Diploma preparation and mentorship. One of the main focuses will be to increase youth participation and to contribute to the program’s education distribution, sexual health experts will be available to speak with the girls on an individual basis, different leaders from the community that has overcome obstacles. Community members, service providers in the community and city agencies will be contacted for support. We will make sure we continue to encourage efforts to build evidence that helps decrease teen STI and pregnancy rates.
Interventions to prevent or reduce sexual risk taking in teenage girls and teen pregnancy
Health Behavior Population Intervention Exclusions Outcomes
Sexual risk taking in teen girls 13-18 YOA Girls in poverty-stricken communities Interventions with a behavioral or educational component; advertising/media campaign; to promote a positive outcome Interventions aimed at sexual risk takers, treatment facility info for STIs; pregnancy counselling Change in behaviors, Reduction of sexual risk taking; reduction of STDs; reduction of teenage pregnancy rates, increase school performances and graduation.
Evaluation of the program
The program would need evaluations to collect data, make sure goals and objectives are being met, and intervention methods are useful. According to (Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H. E., & Lipsey, M. W. 1995). STD prevention programs exist in highly diverse, complex, and dynamic social and health service settings. There are substantial differences in availability of resources among different project areas. These differences include the level of various STDs and health conditions in communities, the level of preventive health services available, and the number of financial resources available to provide STD services.
The evaluation will give an opportunity to see what is not working and find new strategies to help the participants. In the development stage, evaluations focus on assessing the extent and severity of the issues to be addressed and on designing effective interventions to address them (Rossi et al. 1995). Once programs are initiated, it is important to examine various methods of operation to improve program effectiveness or decrease costs in producing the desired effect. This will help provide information that can be useful in the design or improvement of similar projects (Rossi,1995). Evaluations can help to identify key operation components that are effective for improving sexual and teen pregnancy health outcomes within program methods.
Resources implemented into the program
The program will be in a building that has large rooms. Each room will focus on different programs.
- Each group will be in a class room setting
- A mental health psychologist will be on staff. They will be able to conduct interventions in a group setting and individual evaluations.
- There will be program assistance that oversee each group. They will conduct survey taking to see which group a good fit would be, based on their needs.
- Everyone will have a tablet. It will belong to the program, but the girls are able to work on projects, research information and use it to write down their thoughts and ideas. They will oversee it for the duration of their time in the program.
- Links such as, Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and youth.org will be automatically uploaded to each tablet along with.
- Each girl who is between the ages of 14-18 are required to attend school daily. Those who have dropped out, are required to participate in the GED study group and take the test. If they do not want to comply, they will be dropped from the program.
- Progress reports and report cards will be reviewed. If there is a subject the girls need help with, the program assistance will assist them to reach their goals.
- Questioners will be given to the girls via their tablet. They will be asked question about sexual partners, sexuality, pregnancy, STD’s home life, and their goals. This will remain confidential.
Summary and Conclusions
I truly believe this type of program would be a great asset to low-income communities. A program that is based around making a difference, bettering yourself and overcoming obstacles is something I myself would love to be a part of. This program would help so many young ladies understand that they are destined for greatness, with hard work and dedication, they are able to break the cycle of being a product of their environment. I can honestly say, if this type of program was offered in my community, I would have made different decisions in my life. At the age of 16, I had my first child. By the time I was 18, my kid’s father and I had two children.
I grew up in a single parent home. my mother and father divorced when I was 2 years old. My mother was forced to raise my three brothers and myself on her own. She worked and went to school to provide for us. My mother was a great provider but because she was the only provider in our household, we were always gone. I decided to do what I wanted and became pregnant. If I had the opportunity to be mentored and pointed in the right direction, I would not have been a teenage mother.
This is well needed in the communities, especially in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods. These young ladies need guidance, and these parents need help. They are not able to provide for household and know every move their kids are making. There is a saying that “it takes a village to raise a child”. This saying became a reality when I became a mother. I had the help and opportunity to finish high school, get a great job and go to college. Everyone does not have that opportunity. Alexia & Liya would create that opportunity.
References:
- Basch, C. E. (2011). Teen Pregnancy and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth. Journal of School Health,81(10), 614-618. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011. 00635.x
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CDC.gov - Chan, L., Adam, B. M., Norazlin, K., Haida, M. S., Lee, V., Norazura, A., . . . Tan, S. M. (2016). Suicidal ideation among single, pregnant adolescents: The role of sexual and religious knowledge, attitudes and practices. Journal of Adolescence,52, 162-169. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.08.006
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- http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-prevention.aspx. 2018
- Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2016). Theories of human development (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis.
- Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H. E., & Lipsey, M. W. (1995). Evaluation: A systematic approach. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
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