Why Is This Important?

Early pregnancy and childbearing is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues, including poverty and income disparity, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, and education, to name just a few. Simply put, if more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in a host of social problems afflicting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.

Teen childbearing is costly to the public sector - federal, state, and local governments and the taxpayers who support them. Reducing teen pregnancy will enhance overall child well-being. The children of teen mothers bear the greatest burden of teen pregnancy and childbearing, and are at significantly increased risk for a number of economic, social, and health problems.

Preventing teen pregnancy is critical to improving not only the lives of today's young women and men but also to enhancing the future prospects of their children. Indeed, one of the surest ways to improve overall child well-being is to reduce the proportion of children born to teen mothers.

Linking Teen Pregnancy Prevention to Other Critical Social Issues, March 2010, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Washington DC.

How Are We Doing?

The rate of births to 15-17 year old girls in New Mexico has decreased steadily from 46.4/1,000 girls in 1990 to 29.2 in 2010. Northern New Mexico health regions consistently had the lowest teen birth rates, while the southeastern region had the highest rates. Hispanic teens have the highest birth rates both in New Mexico and nationally. Almost half of the population of females ages 15-17 years in New Mexico is Hispanic, yet they account for 70% of the births to this age group. (The State of Health in New Mexico 2011).

Birth rates to NM teens 15-17 years by race/ethnicity 2000-2010:

Birth rates for American Indian teens decreased by 31%
Birth rates for Hispanic teens decreased by 31%
Birth rates for African American teens decreased by 44%
Birth rates for White teens decreased by 48%

What Is Being Done?

Clinical reproductive health services are provided at all local health offices, and some community health centers and school-based health centers and a detention center. Services are also provided with a network of medical care providers through provider agreements where the Program provides medical supplies and contraceptives and the clinician provides medical care and oversight.

NM DOH Family Planning Program funds the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) at 27 sites in 10 counties. TOP is a service learning program designed to prevent teen pregnancy and academic failure while promoting positive youth development. TOP sites are in Taos county, San Miguel county, Bernalillo county, Dona Ana county, Luna county, Sierra county, Chaves county, Valencia county, Cibola county, and Torrance county. These sites also implement Raices y Alas parent-teen communication workshops. The workshops are designed to increase parents' confidence in talking with their children about sex and sexual health topics.

In addition to this programming, these State agencies provide teen pregnancy prevention programming:

Office of School and Adolescent Health provides primary care and behavioral health care at School Based Health Centers. Family planning services are provided where approved by the school district.

Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) in collaboration with New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition, supports the Young Father's Program, which is a network of mentorship and support services for high-risk young males 26 years of age or younger. CYFD also supports other fatherhood programs statewide.

Public Education Department supports the Graduation, Reality and Dual-Role Skills (GRADS) Program a vocational, in-school drop out recovery and intervention program for pregnant and parenting adolescent families, pregnancy prevention programs for traditional students, Career Readiness, Youth Development and on-site childcare.

Effective June 1, 2011 the Human Services Department changed the family planning waiver to a state plan service, which expands Medicaid coverage to: 1) cover men whose income is below 185 percent of the federal income poverty level; and 2) cover men and women without age restriction.

Evidence-based Practices

The New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition recommend these strategies to reduce teen pregnancy:

Family Planning Services offer access to confidential reproductive health services at low or no cost. In NM, services are provided at all local public health offices, and some community health centers and school-based health centers.

Service learning programs engage youth in constructive activities to build on their strengths and interests, and increase their motivation to delay childbearing by providing positive alternatives and leadership opportunities. The Teen Outreach Program (TOP) decreases teen pregnancy and increases school success, with curriculum-guided activities and community based volunteer service throughout the school year.

Adult-teen communication programs give adults information and skills to communicate effectively with young people about reducing risky sexual behavior. Parents influence teen decisions about sex more than their friends, the media, or their siblings. Raices y Alas, a two-hour workshop for parents of adolescents, is designed to increase parents' confidence in talking with their children about sex and sexual health topics.

Comprehensive sex education like Cuidate! teach that abstinence is the best method for avoiding sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy, and also teach about the use of condoms and contraception. These programs help youth to make responsible decisions and to develop healthy life skills and healthy relationships.

Male clinical and educational services provide access to reproductive health care for men and promote the importance of men's role in teen pregnancy prevention.

Healthy People 2010 Objective 9.7:

Adolescent pregnancy (per 1,000 population, ages 15 to 17 years)
U.S. Target for 2010: 43