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Low Income Black And Hispanic Adolescent Females Essay

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SLIDE 1: So why are we targeting low-income black and Hispanic adolescent females you may ask? They are at higher risk, than other ethnicities, for acquiring an STD and/or experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Increased utilization of dual contraception is of great importance in these communities. Adolescent females in general are less likely to use dual forms of protection from STD’s and unplanned pregnancy. Young women, due to their anatomy tend to be more susceptible to STD’s than are young men. Black and Hispanic females are 4.9x and 2.1x, respectively, more likely to contract chlamydia (which is a common STD) than their white counterparts. When it comes to pregnancy 3 in 10 adolescent females will become pregnant before the age of 20, amongst black and Hispanic young women this figure jumps to 5 in 10. Black and Hispanics teens are more likely to be living in poverty than are other ethnicities and data has shown that teen pregnancy increases proportionally as socioeconomic status declines as does rate of STD contraction.

SLIDE 2: Next you may ask why are we specifically focusing on teens who live in the south? Well, Geography matters! According to the national center for health statistics teen pregnancy is highest in the southern states vs. the Northeastern or Midwestern states. While the average teen birth rate was 24.2% nationwide it was between 30-39% in the southern United States. Currently, only 18 states and D.C. require that education regarding contraception is

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