During National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, celebrated each May, the nation turns its attention to teen pregnancy prevention and the great strides that have been made over the last 20 years. While there have been advances in reducing teen pregnancy, progress is still needed to close racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates in the United States. Although the teen birth rate is at a historic low, the United States has one of the highest rates in the industrialized world, with birth rates higher among American Indian/Alaska Natives and non-Hispanic blacks than among their non-Hispanic white counterparts.
How does the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Work at HOPES?
HOPES’ Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP) offers parents and families two Evidence Based Programs (EBP), Seventeen Days and Families Talking Together as well as onsite pediatric primary care and prevention services.
What is the Seventeen Days Program?
Seventeen Days is an interactive EBP that uses cognitive rehearsal to ask adolescent participants how they could respond to similar situations. In doing this, it gives them the opportunity to mentally practice how they would respond to hypothetical situations. This program focuses on healthy relationships, responsible decision making, and offers education on contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The EBP was created for and targets females teens.
Last year, 96 individuals participated in HOPES’ Seventeen Days Program.
What is Families Talking Together?
Families Talking Together (FTT) is a parent-based intervention aimed at delaying sexual initiation, and is targeted to parents of 9-14 year old’s. This program gives parents a set of tools to communicate expectations, build parent-adolescent relationships, help parent develop successful monitoring strategies, and teach adolescent refusal skills. This program is available in English or Spanish.
Last year, 89 individuals participated in HOPES’ Families Talking Together Program.
Next week, we’ll share more information about the benefits of TPP services at HOPES. In the meantime, check out our Teen Health page where you’ll find more information about our TPP Programs and resources for you and your family.
