Mixed Messages: The current state of teen pregnancy prevention in Travis County, TX.
Teen pregnancy prevention in Travis County is a priority issue. Healthy Youth Partnership (HYP) examined statistics on teen birth rates for Travis County, Texas, and the United States and found that both Travis County and Texas have higher birth rates than the United States reports overall.
HYP is a volunteer-led collaboration working to support youth-serving professionals in the Central Texas community. HYP’s collaboration originated from professionals working in adolescent sexual health, however it has expanded to include all youth-serving professionals. HYP’s goal is to connect all youth-serving professionals with the skills, resources, and networks to further enhance their work in the Central Texas community.
HYP conducted this needs assessment in order to determine the types of services that are available to teens, how accessible services are, and what barriers teens and their families encounter when trying to access services. HYP also considered the social determinants of health and societal structures that influence teen and unplanned pregnancies, such as poverty, access to health education, and preventative health care. In addition, HYP examined individual, peer, romantic partner, family, and community factors and to what degree they serve as risk or protective factors to teen and unplanned pregnancy.
Brazeal, J., Marra, L., McKerlie, K. & Faulkner, M. (2015). Mixed Messages: The current state of teen pregnancy prevention in Travis County, TX. Austin, TX: The Healthy Youth Partnership, Child & Family Research Institute.