Teen Pregnancy - Alexis Cirilli

Vision/ Realistic Ideal

Rhinelander has 13-20 teen parents per class in the high school by the studentsı senior year. In total, there are approximately 40 teen mothers with children under the age of two in the Rhinelander area at any given time. The project goal is to provide home visitation to teen mothers (in the Rhinelander areas) under the child is two years old.

Describe the Problem

Oneida county as part of the tri-county has a large number of teen pregnancies, a rate that is significantly higher than the state average. Teen pregnancy is a huge problem nation wide, and every angle of approach is needed to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy. Teen parents have a substantial number of risks (lower income, lower graduation rate, and higher subsequent pregnancies) and children born to teen mothers have higher rates of abuse and neglect, higher incidence of teen parenthood, and high rates of incarceration.

Teen parents feel an isolated. In Rhinelander, teen parents have a higher dropout rate and a higher incidence of "home schooling," a term that means that they disappear from the school system- the number one area targeted for pregnancy prevention and post-natal support. Still children in many respects, teen parents are pulled into adulthood with little training and modest support.

Project Goals & Tasks

  • Design a program which makes available home visitation to all teen moms in Rhinelander (those who deliver at RRMC) for the first two years of the babyıs life
  • Create focus groups: RHS teen mom class, Family planning group, and DNCC (intervention for high risk teens)
  • Design a presentation for this program
  • Serve as a potential model for other north Wisconsin or rural communities
  • Witness the success of this program
  • Conduct informant interviews

If you are interested in getting involved with this project or you want more information please contact Alexis Cirilli at aacirilli@students.wisc.edu

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İ 2003 University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family Medicine