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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: The conclusion of this quantitative and qualitative evaluation of 350 mothers delivering at Women's Hospital in East Los Angeles and recruited between April 1989 and December 1990 was that basic ethnographic research on teenage sexual and reproductive behavior is needed. Target groups of Hispanics, for instance, may not be homogenous and may require multiple strategies. New interventions should accommodate the effects of poverty, the influence of significant others, and the cultural meaning of relationships, pregnancy, childbearing, contraceptive use, and gender roles. Concern focused on the notion that limited program effects can be considered trivial. The point was made that bilingual mothers who had been in the US for some time and desired upward socioeconomic mobility were helped by the program. Also, the program developed referral resources in child care, school programs, employment, housing, emergency aid, and services for physical and sexual abuse. Additional funding was able to provide part-time work experiences in the clinic for a few of the teenagers, which provided more social support, solid work experience, and incentives. Through the use of qualitative data, counselors were able to prioritize teenage needs and thus supply needed food and housing before contraception. Qualitative data also helped to distinguish several different groups of Hispanics: those recent immigrants who wanted to be wives and mothers; bilingual adolescents desiring economic advancement; throw-away kids involved with drugs and gangs; and Central American teenagers who fled war-torn countries and desired a better life. There were pressing needs related to poverty and social circumstances that interfered with family planning program implementation. Recognition of the different lifestyles helped to direct services in appropriate ways. The statistical demographic profiles were presented and indicated that these teenage obstetric persons had significant social, economic, and medical risks. Many were at risk of repeat pregnancy because of living with their partner and not using contraception. Most were high school drop-outs. There was a high probability that many were illegal immigrants. Postpartum program drop-out rates were very high. Only 37 out of 244 cases and 106 controls remained after 2 years and 105 cases and 16 controls after 1 year. Residential mobility and poverty were obstacles to follow-up.
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