Enhancing Knowledge of Contraception and Safe Sex among Hispanic Teens

The aim of this DNP project was to increase knowledge regarding safe sex practices, and contraception among Hispanic adolescents in order to improve their ability to prevent unintended pregnancies. Teen pregnancy rates are notably higher among Hispanic individuals in underserved areas with limited access to contraceptive education and family planning services. This is problematic because pregnancy at an early age often leads to increased financial burden as well as poor health, negative outcomes, and decreased life expectancy for mother and child. The objectives for this project were to 1) Identify barriers that prevent Hispanic teens from using birth control to avoid unintended pregnancies, 2) Implement an educational program to enhance participants' knowledge regarding safe sex practices and birth control options and availability, 3) Share DNP project results with clinicians and staff at the site of implementation, and 4) Present project outcomes at the American College of Nurse-Midwives regional meeting. Teenage pregnancy rates in the United States have been declining steadily over the last 6 years. However, current evidence indicates that there are significant racial disparities in the incidence of pregnancy among adolescents. In 2014, incidence of teen pregnancy was highest among Hispanic teens with rates that were more than double the national average. Women who become pregnant during adolescence are more likely to develop conditions such as heart disease and cervical cancer which are among the top ten causes of death in the United States. Poor health and low socioeconomic status significantly increase mortality rates and decrease life expectancy among this population. Children who are born to teenage mothers are more likely to have poor health, live in poverty, and use illegal substances. They are also more likely to engage in unhealthy sexual practices and become teen parents themselves. The implementation of this project involved clinicians at a local community health clinic who assessed teenage patients for birth control use and asked them to complete a short, anonymous questionnaire to identify barriers to their use of contraception. Those who were interested in learning more about birth control methods were invited to participate in a contraceptive workshop where they had the opportunity to learn about their proper use and availability. Participants learning was evaluated using a pre- and post-test format of key concepts. Results were presented to clinicians and staff at the clinical site to promote awareness of barriers and increase uptake of contraception among Hispanic teens. The results of this project indicated that over one third of the adolescents who completed the questionnaire were already using contraception. This suggests appropriate availability of resources and information in this particular setting. However, a large portion of the teens who were not using contraception reported feeling too embarrassed to request information about this topic and obtain contraception from their primary care providers. The contraceptive workshop implemented with this scholarly project demonstrated a significant improvement in participants' knowledge of birth control options. This suggests that a contraceptive workshop could be an effective intervention in a variety of primary care settings. There is a clear need for contraceptive education among Hispanic adolescents. By identifying barriers to contraceptive use and providing the appropriate information and resources, clinicians can play a role in decreasing rates of unintended pregnancy in these high risk populations.