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This
Month’s Contents: MESSAGE
FROM SYLVIA RUIZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NATIONAL
RESOURCES 1.
New from the 2.
New from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended
Pregnancy 3.
New from the Healthy Teen Network 4.
New from the Center for Applied Research and Technical Assistance,
Inc. LOCAL
RESOURCES - EVENTS
AND NOTICES New
Mexico Department of Health Message
from the Young Father’s Project |
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MESSAGE
FROM SYLVIA RUIZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NMTPC is
dedicating this issue of the News Flash to Former First Lady Alice King
who died this month. Mrs. King was a strong supporter of NM youth
and was instrumental in most of the efforts to improve services and
outcomes for youth in the state. She headed the Governor’s Task
Force on Youth and Families which resulted in the formation of the NM
Children, Youth and Families Department. She was also instrumental
in focusing attention on the problems caused by teen pregnancy. She
also created most of the programs addressing teen pregnancy prevention and
programs providing support services to youth in the state. We honor
Alice King. She will be missed. NMTPC Board of
Directors and Staff send our fondest wishes to each and every one of you
for a peaceful holiday! Hasta
Luego, Executive
Director New
Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition 505-254-8737 505-254-8741
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1.
New from the United States Senate SENATE DECLARES
FEBRUARY 2 - 6, 2009 "NATIONAL TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND
PREVENTION WEEK" Senate
Resolution 710 passes by Unanimous Consent
"Dating
violence has been shown to be a precursor to adult domestic violence; it
is a cruel reality for many American teens," said Crapo. "We must teach
our children what it means to have healthy relationships free from
harassment, fear and physical and emotional abuse. This annual
effort helps communities across the nation raise awareness of the
destructive and sometimes fatal dating relationships of our teens, and
promotes prevention of this violence. I'm honored to have
spearheaded efforts to raise awareness here in the United States Senate,
and I want to thank my Senate colleagues and our more than 50 national,
state and local Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative
partners for their ongoing support and outreach." "I'm proud to
once again join Senator Crapo, our colleagues and all of our Initiative
Partners to continue our efforts to raise awareness about the tragedy of
teen dating abuse and violence," said Clinton. "Declaring "National Teen
Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week" and providing education on
this issue for teens are critical steps towards breaking this dangerous
cycle. We must teach youth everywhere that abuse - be it emotional
or physical - is never acceptable. Our work is far from over to
protect every woman, man and child from domestic
violence." "Teen dating
violence, which unfortunately is on the rise in Alaska, must be
addressed," said Murkowski. "It is important that we raise awareness
of the problem and teach adolescents that mutual respect is a hallmark of
any healthy relationship. Youth must understand that harassment or
abuse of any sort is simply unacceptable." "Teen dating
violence is a serious problem in Connecticut and the Nation. We can
come closer to breaking the cycle of domestic violence by raising
awareness and teaching today's children to develop healthy relationships,"
said Senator Lieberman. "It is my hope that more potential victims
are spared with each year we recognize National Teen Dating Violence
Awareness Week." "It is
absolutely necessary for us to bring national attention to a serious issue
that affects so many young Americans," Schumer said. "Teens must become
aware of dating violence and learn what constitutes a healthy relationship
and what constitutes an unhealthy relationship. I am very proud to
have joined my Senate colleagues in declaring National Teen Dating
Violence Awareness and Prevention Week." "Teenagers in
violent relationships are at far higher risk of engaging in dangerous
behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse," Bayh said. "Young people
deserve the support of caring, compassionate adults they can turn to in a
time of crisis. National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Week deserves credit for bringing this serious issue to
light. An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure when it
comes to the safety of our children." The crime of
teen dating violence, including physical, emotional and sexual assault,
and harassment via texting, email or Instant Messaging is a reality for
many American teenagers. * One in
eleven adolescents reports being a victim of physical dating
violence. * 30
percent of teens in a dating relationship have been text-messaged 10, 20,
or 30 times an hour by a partner finding out where they are, what they are
doing or who they are with. * One in
five teens in a serious relationship reports having been hit, slapped or
pushed by a partner. * 29
percent of girls in a relationship report having been pressured to go
further sexually than they really wanted. The Teen Dating
Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative was started by teens through
the American Bar Association in 2004. In 2006, the first national
"week" was declared by Congress, and has been recognized every year since
then. Since its inception, a number of governors have declared
proclamations, and today, the Initiative includes over 50 national, state
and local agencies and organizations as partners. More information
can be found at: To directly
link to this news release, please use the following address: http://crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/release_full.cfm?id=305863 |
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2.
New from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended
Pregnancy Position
Available The
National Campaign is seeking an experienced senior-level professional to
serve as Policy Director. This position will be a key part of the
Campaign’s policy team, with a particular focus on policies to promote
pregnancy prevention and planning through the public and private health
sectors. This includes developing and advocating for policy proposals that
will advance the mission of the National Campaign, especially in the
context of health reform. Read
the full job
description and application instructions
here. Healthcare by
the People In our work, we
often hear about the challenges that people face when seeking medical care
and advice. With health reform on the horizon, we have a great
opportunity to address these challenges and to ensure that the issues that
we care about are a part of the debate. Determining
whether and when to become pregnant and have children is one of the most
important decisions many of us will make in our lives. We think women,
men, and families will do better if they have the opportunity to prevent
pregnancy and plan families affordably, in consultation with the best
medical professionals, and without barriers. We want the new
Administration to know that
this is a priority, and nothing
demonstrates why this issue matters better than your stories about your
experiences with the health care system. We have asked a few of our
friends to share their
stories with us, and
we hope you will do the
same. Sex
Tech Results from
this new survey show that 21% of teen girls and 18% of teen boys have
sent/ posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves. What is going on with
teens, tech, and sex? From
Sex &
Tech: Before
You Hit Send The Power of
Prevention: The Link between Poverty and Unplanned
Pregnancy National
Campaign staff member Andrea Kane authored this recent commentary for
The Spotlight
on Poverty,
a non-partisan forum on poverty known for presenting “big tent” ideas and
solutions for reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunity.
Read The Power of
Prevention: The Link between Poverty and Unplanned
Pregnancy
here.
Now
Available: a New Case Study and Science Says #38
·
Center for
Health Training/CHT Resource Group (CHT)
The
purpose of the Promoting Science Based Approaches-Getting to Outcomes
(PSBA-GTO) Case Study series is to showcase real-life narratives of
grantees’ successes and challenges in working through the PSBA-GTO steps
with local partners. The case studies provide concrete examples of
how the PSBA-GTO process can be successfully
implemented. Consider
the following headline: In 2006 there were more than 430,000 teen births
in the U.S.1 In 2004 there were 729,000 teen pregnancies in America.
What do all these numbers mean? How do they differ? Can they be
compared? This Science
Says presents definitions, examples, and step-by-step guidance
on how to interpret rates, proportions, and the percent change in numbers
over time. Consistent definitions of key terms and concepts related to
teen and unplanned pregnancy will help when interpreting available data,
and will help ensure a better understanding of commonly used terms and
statistics. Adolescent
Health Services: Missing Opportunities NPR Gets Inside
the Minds of Teen Girls National
Campaign Latino Initiative іSaludos! We know
you're probably as busy as we are preparing for the holidays and the new
year, but in honor of the season we wanted to take a moment to share
some 2008 highlights and a sneak preview of what’s to come in
2009. In
2008 the Latino Initiative:
In
2009 we plan to:
We
want to thank each and every one of you for your interest in the issue of
teen pregnancy in the Latino community, and for all your support.
Special thanks to our funders who’ve made all this work possible, and to
the National Campaign’s official airline, Southwest
Airlines. Del
corazón de los jóvenes: What Latino teens are saying about love and
relationships Rarely
are teens themselves asked to share their thoughts and beliefs about
issues that affect them. Del corazón de los jóvenes—which in English
roughly translates to “youth speak from the heart”—gives both teens and
parents a snapshot of what Latino teens themselves say about
relationships. This document is based on findings from a
nationally-representative survey of Latino teens and adults, focus groups
with Latino teens, and research previously published by The National
Campaign. |
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3.
New from the Healthy Teen Network Welcome to the
Year in Review 2008 Edition of the Healthy Teen Network
Spotlight!
As we end the
year, Healthy Teen Network takes this moment to reflect on the highlights
of the last year: successes, and challenges in the field of adolescent
health, teen pregnancy prevention, and supporting young
families.
According to
the most recent national data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2006, the
preliminary birth rate for US teenagers 15-19 years rose 3 percent to 41.9
births per 1,000 females, the first increase reported since 1991. The
birth rate for teenagers 15-17 years rose 3 percent to 22.0 per 1,000 in
2006, whereas the birth rate for teenagers 18-19 years increased 4 percent
to 73.0 per 1,000. In 2009,
Healthy Teen Network will release recommendations for the field to further
prevent teen pregnancy, particularly among marginalized populations of
youth. For more information about this initiative, contact Pat Paluzzi at
Pat@HealthyTeenNetwork.org.
Health
Disparities in HIV/AIDS, STIs Viral
Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention released the report, "Health
Disparities in HIV/AIDS, STIs," which
explains the current state of health disparities in the US. According to
the report, differences in rates of HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) may occur by gender, race, or ethnicity;
income; disability; geographic location; or sexual orientation. Poverty,
unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and racism are
all linked to health disparities. Healthy Teen
Network is working with cities to integrate HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy
prevention in curricula. For more information, contact Gina Desiderio at
Gina@HealthyTeenNetwork.org Teen Sexual
Activity Up, Contraceptive Use Down Results from
2007 Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) show positive
changes in high school teens' sexual behavior and contraceptive use have
stalled, and, in fact, might be moving backward. Almost half (48 percent)
of high school teens say they have had sex-an increase of 2 percent from
2005-2007. In the same period, the proportion of teens who say they used a
condom the last time they had sex decreased by 2 percent.
Healthy Teen
Network offers resources to help practitioners to promote communication
between youth and their parents or other supportive adults about sex, in
particular, accurate, age-appropriate information about contraceptives. Be
sure to check out the following Healthy Teen Network
publications: Strides in
Supporting Young Families This year
Healthy Teen Network continued its initiative to promote health and
success among pregnant and parenting youth and their children through
several avenues: Media
Reframing: Gaining Support
for Teen Families: Mapping the Perceptual Hurdles
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3.
New from the Center for Applied Research and Technical Assistance,
Inc. CARTA
is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the healthy
development of all young people, specifically youth of color. We do this
by building the capacity of youth-serving professionals and transforming
the systems in which they work. We sincerely believe that young people are
our greatest and most precious resource. CARTA envisions a
world where all youth have the right to grow into adulthood safely, fully
prepared, and in good health. CARTA cares about
all of our young people, but prioritizes the needs of vulnerable youth,
disadvantaged youth and youth of color — those youth who, due to their
life circumstances or social and economic inequity, face numerous
obstacles that may impede their successful development and transition to
adulthood. CARTA strives to help youth-serving organizations, public
institutions, and foundations enhance their ability to support, and
nurture vulnerable youth and youth of color. Our
work includes a range of projects that examine the critical dimensions of
adolescent development including the impact of such influences as family,
community, culture, gender, and social class on the attitudes and
behaviors of young people. We also study the most effective program and
policy strategies for advancing these efforts. Using evaluation, program
and/or organizational development, and training activities, we work
one-on-one with providers to improve the quality and appropriateness of
program models, implementation, and assessment strategies.
Our
ultimate goal is to connect the dots between theory/research, practice,
youth policy, and to ensure youth and provider voices inform the
development, implementation, and results of our
efforts. For a Summary
of Our Current Projects, download this 3-page
PDF.
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Each
month the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition provides a review of the
research and policy reports distributed by National and Local Resources
for your information only. The
information, and comments expressed in this News Flash as well as any of
the information distributed do not necessarily reflect the position of the
NMTPC or its funders. Therefore, NMTPC assumes no responsibility for
the concepts expressed in this NEWS
FLASH. |
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Local
Events & Notices
From the Office
of the Secretary Office
of Community Health Workers I
am excited to announce the establishment of an Office of Community Health
Workers (CHWs) for the Department of Health. This new office will be
housed within the Office of Health Promotion/Health Systems Bureau/Public
Health Division. A primary responsibility for this office will be
the development of a standardized, statewide training program and a
certification process for community health workers. This
determination comes during a period of limited resources and intense
financial constraints. These situations do not allow us to negate our
responsibilities. On the contrary, we must be more creative about
how we address the health and social needs of our communities. This step
is a movement in that direction. Nationally,
community health workers, community health representatives, promotoras,
doulas, etc. have long been recognized as an essential part of cost-
effective healthcare systems. These individuals work closely with other
health care providers and provide links to a wide spectrum of health care
services. They help reduce health disparities and overcome barriers to
health-care access by offering culturally and linguistically appropriate
care to underserved communities. Their value is acknowledged in the
New Mexico Comprehensive Strategic Health Plan and the Department of
Health FY2010 Strategic Plan, which both discuss enhancing the utilization
of community health workers as well as the creation of an Office of
Community Health Workers. This
new office is still in the early stages of development. Since no new
funding sources are currently available, existing resources will be
utilized until additional funds are secured. Department - wide
support for this initiative is crucial. Programs will not be asked
to provide fiscal resources, but to collaborate, share expertise, promote
and otherwise be responsive to the activities of the Office. Christina
Carrillo Director for the Office of Health Promotion and Community Health
Improvement is heading this project. Please contact her for more
information about the new Office of Community Workers, the New Mexico CHW
Advisory Council, CHW activities in New Mexico, or to discuss
collaborative possibilities. She can be reached by phone at
(505.476.3082) or by email at christina.carrillo@state.nm.us.
From the Office
of Family Planning Evaluation
of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Projects in New
Mexico 2006-2007 The Family
Planning Program of the New Mexico Department of Health has funded
adolescent pregnancy prevention (APP) projects in different locations
around the state for several years. 2006-2007 was the final year of
four-year contracts for five projects. The goal of the APP projects
was to prevent teen pregnancy, and together they reached over 700 teen
participants and 134 pre-teen participants in
2006-2007. This report
presents results of an evaluation that was conducted of the projects in
this final year. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine if
the projects were having an impact on exposure to health education topics,
sexual activity and contraceptive use. A questionnaire was administered to
project participants and also to comparison students who were not involved
in the APP projects. The evaluation methodology involved matching
pre- and post-questionnaires for participants and comparison
students. Considerable data were excluded due to problems in
matching, and the results presented are based only on matched
questionnaires. In addition, the comparison groups differed from
participants in two important characteristics, race/ethnicity and grade
level, making the comparisons between the two groups problematic.
Key findings
are summarized below. Health
Education Topics ·
Teen
participants had significantly higher levels than comparison students of
exposure to the following topics, at
post-assessment: o How to say no
to sex o Methods of
birth control ·
Pre-teen
participants had significantly higher levels than comparison students of
exposure to the full range of health education
topics. Sexual
Activity ·
A substantial
majority of teens, over 76%, reported that they had never had sex,
and an even higher percentage of pre-teen participants (94.5%) reported
they had never had sex. ·
There was no
change in the percent of teen and pre-teen participants who reported ever
having sexual intercourse between pre- and
post-questionnaires. ·
Fewer than 5%
of teen participants and comparison students reported ever having been
forced to have sex. Contraception ·
The great
majority of teen participants, who had ever had sex, reported that they
had used a condom and/or other forms of birth control (especially birth
control pills) the last time they had sex at both pre- and
post-questionnaire (84% and 86% respectively.) ·
Teen
participants' consistent use of birth control in the last 6 months to
prevent pregnancy increased significantly from 38% to 52%. At
post-questionnaire, 48% of participants reported not using birth control
consistently. However, the percentage of teen participants who
reported never using birth control in the last 6 months, declined
significantly from 35% to 23% between pre- and
post-questionnaires. ·
Among teen
participants who had ever had sex but did not use birth control, most
reported that they didn't know they were going to have sex, so they didn't
use anything. Resiliency and
Risk Factors ·
Most teen and
pre-teen APP participants and comparison students reported having
resiliency behaviors that may prevent teen pregnancy.
·
Among teen APP
participants, there was a significant increase in the proportion that had
at least one adult that they could confide in, talk to, or share about
something important. This finding is not surprising given the
additional opportunity through the APP projects to have conversations
about topics that might be important to them. ·
There was a
significant decrease in teen APP participants who said they often do
things without thinking about what will happen. Recommendations
1.
APP projects
should continue to provide information to APP participants on condoms and
other birth control methods and on importance of consistent use of all
methods. 2.
Even though the
reported level of forced sex is low among teens, the topic should be
addressed in the APP projects so that students who are the subject of
forced sex are provided with information and
counseling. 3.
Greater effort
should be made to improve matching of pre- and
post-questionnaires. 4.
Greater effort
should be made to select comparison groups that are more similar to
participants in two demographic characteristics: race/ethnicity and grade
level. 5.
Greater effort
should be made to lengthen the interval between pre- and
post-questionnaires. For the full
report, go to APP Evaluation
Report for 2006-2007.Sept 08.doc (340KB) Top
Adolescent Girls Health Issues and Solutions Identified
by New Mexico Girls in their School &
Community (NM
Girls Conference 2008- Sponsored by NM Commission on the Status of
Women) Teen
Dating Violence is among the top
health priorities identified by the 250 young
women who participated in the 2008 New Mexico Girls
Institute, sponsored by the New
Mexico Commission on the Status
of Women. All attended in a Health and Safety Workshop,
using Socio-Economic and 5-Component Health Models to identify their top
concerns for girls' health statewide. Through this process, participants
identified a number of strategies to address health issues, including
using a peer-to-peer violence prevention model and engaging with adult
partners to prevent violence. For questions regarding this report, please
contact: Kathi Brown, NM Girls Institute Coordinator, NM The New Mexico
Department of Health Office of School and Adolescent Health and the
Governor’s Women’s Health Advisory Council collaborated with three young
ladies (Kyla Joas, Christina Chavez, and Stephanie Chavez from Co-Ed
Pageants) to do a Health and Safety Workshop at the New Mexico Girls
Conference. Preparation for the workshop was a youth-adult partnership,
and the three young ladies led the workshop at the conference for
approximately 250 adolescent girls from across the state. This workshop
focused on health and safety as well as the importance of young people
speaking up and getting involved with adolescent health and safety issues
that affect them. Issues included substance abuse, teen pregnancy,
drinking and driving, gangs, and suicide. Young people were recognized as
assets who have strengths and talents that they can contribute to making
our state healthier and safer. The participants identified the top five
health and safety issues they face both in their schools and communities.
They also provided prevention and intervention strategies for each
issue. For more detailed information, go to Adolescent
Girls Health Issues Report 2008.pdf (362KB) |
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Message
from the Young Fathers’ Project Referral
form for the New Mexico
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