Adolescent pregnancy is one of the major health problems that could affect the society as a whole. Understanding the important of this issue could positively reduce risk of teen pregnancy, improve outcome of the newborns, and decrease expense of health care cost. According to an article, “Risk and Protective factors,” from Youth.gov (2017), multiple risk factors that lead to teen pregnancy include: living in poverty, have limited maternal education, having a mother who gave birth before age 20, being from a single-parent home, living with frequent family conflict, early sexual activity, early use of alcohol and drugs, low self-esteem, and the adolescent’s race and ethnicity.

The State of New Jersey (2017) had launched “Project Teach (Teen Education and Child Health),” to provide a comprehensive educational program to pregnant and parenting adolescents throughout New Jersey. Each location provides, for example, on site care for infants 6 weeks to 2 ½ years, primary care giving, loving and safe environment, and available space in the nursery. In my community, we have the 1st Way of Burlington County, Inc (2016); this local community provides free and confidential service in: emergency pregnancy test, maternity and baby clothes, formula, food, diapers, and referrals to prenatal clinics to pregnant girl and woman. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2017), the teen pregnancy rate in New Jersey has declined in the last 10 years. In Burlington County, the teen pregnancy rate compared to 1,000 was at 4.7, and compared to 6.9 of the State of New Jersey (NJSHAD, 2017). I think the possible reasons for a decrease in teen pregnancy rate in my local community and New Jersey would be an increase education about teen pregnancy in school, increase parental support, increase education about HIV and STI prevention, and better access to local and state support.

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