| OCR Text |
Show Contraceptive Use among Hispanic Adolescents: Identifying Barriers and Enhancing Knowledge Stanley Garzón, BSN, RN, DNP-Student PURPOSE • The Purpose of this scholarly project was to identify barriers to contraceptive use among Hispanic adolescents and implement an educational program to improve their knowledge regarding safe sex practices, birth control, and family planning BACKGROUND • The United States has seen a reduction in teen pregnancy rates over the past 6 years AIMS • 34.2 per 1,000 in 2010 vs. 24.2 per 1,000 in 2014 • This trend has also been seen in the state of Utah • 27.9 per 1,000 in 2010 vs. 19.5 per 1,000 in 2014 • U.S. teen pregnancy rates are two times higher than Canada’s PROCEDURES • U.S. teen pregnancy rates are ten times higher than Switzerland’s • Teen pregnancy rates are notably higher among racial/ethnic minorities in underserved areas with limited access to contraceptive education and family planning services/resources • Hispanic teens hold the highest pregnancy rates in the state of Utah • 43.4 per 1,000 • Consequences of teen pregnancy • Increased financial burden for individuals, families, communities • More likely to live in poverty • Poor health, negative health outcomes, decreased life expectancy • Less opportunities to improve living conditions and quality of life RESULTS METHODS • Clinicians at a local community health center assessed for current birth control use among Hispanic teens, ages 15-17, during routine health maintenance visits • Teens were asked to complete a short, anonymous questionnaire to assess for barriers or obstacles to their use of contraception. • Individuals who were interested in learning more about birth control were invited to attend a one hour contraception workshop. Pre- and post-tests were done in order to assess learning as a consequence of their attendance. • Project outcomes were presented to community health center stake holders in an effort to increase awareness of common barriers to contraceptive use among Hispanic teens and promote the implementation of the workshop at other clinical sites. BARRIERS TO CONTRACEPTIVE USE AFFORDABILITY 0 1 UNSURE WHERE TO OBTAIN NO SUPPORT FROM PARTNER 0 6 EMBARRASSED TO DISCUSS 8 NOT SEXUALLY ACTIVE 3 SIDE EFFECTS 1 CULTURE/RELIGION 0 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2 4 6 8 CONTRACEPTIVE WORKSHOP RESULTS 91% 63% Pre-workshop Test Scores Post-workshop Test Scores 10 • 32 adolescents completed the anonymous RESULTS: questionnaire (25 females and 7 males) • 13 were already using contraception • Most common barriers to contraceptive use: • Not sexually active • Too embarrassed to request and discuss information regarding birth control methods • A total of 11 adolescents reported their interest in learning more about contraception. Nine of them chose to participate in the contraceptive workshop • Pre-test average score: 63% • Post-test average score: 91% DISCUSSION • Over one third of the teens who filled out the questionnaire were already using contraception. This suggests appropriate availability of resources and information in this particular setting • Many adolescents reported being too embarrassed to discuss contraception. Clinicians should open up the discussion to allow patients to ask questions and obtain clinically accurate information • The contraceptive workshop implemented with this scholarly project showed significant improvement in knowledge of birth control options. However, due to small sample size, these results cannot be generalized to other populations. CONCLUSION • Clinicians should assess for barriers to contraceptive use among Hispanic adolescents and provide appropriate education and resources in an effort to prevent unintended pregnancies • A contraceptive workshop can be a simple and effective intervention to improve knowledge of birth control options and availability among this population |
