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San Joaquin Health Adolescent Health Report

Promoting healthy and appropriately timed pregnancies and births are key objectives for public health. Research indicates that early investments in reproductive health initiatives improve the health and well-being of all individuals.1, 2 While substantial achievements have been made over the last 100 years, progress has slowed in the United States and we are now behind many peer high-income nations in achieving key maternal and child health goals as outlined by the World Health Organization.3 Further, there is much variability in outcomes across the US and California. An evidence-based consensus has emerged that potentially modifiable individual factors and more difficult but still modifiable environmental and social exposures dramatically impact reproductive health outcomes. The importance of a comprehensive assessment of reproductive health outcomes and determinants in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) is key to improving the health of young women and future generations of SJV residents.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated March 17, 2021, 07:03 (UTC)
Created January 11, 2021, 08:37 (UTC)
Additional Information This Consortium is facilitated by the Central California Center for Health and Human Services and funded by The California Endowment.
Author
Citation Central Valley Health Policy Institute. (n.d.). ADOLESCENT HEALTH IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY: Individual and Neighborhood Characteristics. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/sjvphc/
Contact Email diahannh@csufresno.edu
Data Collection Tool CVHPI is actively working with the Consortium to provide research and policy expertise.
Detailed Description A common set of individual and neighborhood factors have been linked to adverse maternal and child health outcomes such as PTB. Many of these same factors have been linked to teenage pregnancy and child-bearing. Women with individual risk factors such as poverty, low education, challenging work, and racial/ethnic “minority” status face greater stresses before and during pregnancy, have less access to preventive care and pregnancy care, and have more adverse birth outcomes. Similarly, living in poor, segregated, conflict-filled and polluted neighborhoods seems to increase risk for adverse birth outcomes beyond the effect of individual factors. These stark differences are explored in research utilizing the life course perspective, a combination of early programming, and cumulative pathway theories. Teen Child-Bearing: Because pregnancy and child-bearing by teenagers is associated with long term negative social, economic and health outcomes for the teen mother, her child and the larger society, reductions in teen pregnancy and births has been a major focus of public health initiatives. By 2014 the teen birth rate was about 24 births/1,000 adolescent females, almost 1/3 of the 1990 rate. California teen child-bearing varies by race/ethnicity, social class, and place of residence. The recent California legal mandates to provide comprehensive reproductive health education and confidential access to health care have broadened access to effective programs, but many also face barriers to accessing care. Birth Outcomes - Preterm Birth: For newborns, there are multiple measures of well-being that are complexly correlated. Adverse birth outcomes include low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), infant morbidity (failure to thrive and other diagnosed medical conditions) and infant mortality (birth - one year). Recent studies have pointed to PTB as the most consistent indicator of poor maternal and infant health. PTB is associated with other poor infant health outcomes and long term economic and social challenges for individuals and communities. PTB has been attributed to maternal age, chronic health conditions, and high risk behaviors. According to March of Dimes data, women who become pregnant in the SJV face a much higher risk of PTB compared to other regions within the state, particularly women of color and those who reside in low-income communities. Current San Joaquin Valley Public Health Consortium Programs Supporting the Health of Young Women San Joaquin Valley Public Health Consortium (SJVPHC) member local health departments have extensive programming centered on women and children. The success of these initiatives hinge on state and federal policies and funding priorities. Notable reductions in funding for public health maternal and child health initiatives in California have also influenced the range and scope of interventions supporting this vulnerable population. Despite these factors, Table 1 shows diverse examples from the SJV county local health departments of ongoing initiatives and activities to promote the health of young women. By examining variations across the SJV, this analysis can help local health departments and their partners identify additional avenues to improve the health of young women.
Frequency Annually
Homepage URL http://www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/cvhpi/programs/sjvphc.html
Language English
Limitation
Maintainer
Program Central California Center for Health and Human Services
Related Citations 1. Elder Jr GH. The life course paradigm: Social change and individual development. 1995.2. Lu MC. Healthcare Reform and Women’s Health: A Life-course Perspective. Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2010;22:487-91.3. Andreasen KR, Andersen ML, Schantz AL. Obesity and pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2004;83:1022-9.4. Hoffman SD, Maynard RA. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs & Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press; 2008.5. Kozuki N, Lee ACC, Silveira MF, et al. The Associations of Parity and Maternal Age with Small-for-gestational-age, Preterm, and Neonatal and Infant Mortality: A Meta-analysis. BMC Public Health 2013.6. Gibbs CM, Wendt A, Peters S, Hogue CJ. The Impact of Early Age at First Childbirth on Maternal and Infant Health. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2012;26:259-84.7. Goossens G, Kadji C, Delvenne V. Teenage Pregnancy: A Psychopathological Risk for Mothers and Babies? Psychiatria Danubina 2015;27 Suppl 1:499-503.8. Preterm births, percent of lives births: United States, 2003-2013 [graph]. National Center for Health Statistics, Final Natality Data. 2016. (Accessed May 25, 2016, at http://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/Peristats.aspx.)9. Teen Pregnancy Prevention at School-Based Health Centers: Challenges & Opportunites. 2015. (Accessed June 27, 2016, at https://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/CSHA-Teen-Pregnancy-Prevention-SBHCs-2015.pdf.)10. Sarwer DB, Allison KC, Gibbons LM, Markowitz JT, Nelson DB. Pregnancy and Obesity: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Journal of Women’s Health (2002) 2006;15:720-33.11. Brown K, Apuzzio J, Weiss G. Maternal Obesity and Associated Reproductive Consequences. Women‘s Health 2010;6:197-203.12. Stotland NE. Obesity and Pregnancy. Br Med J 2009;338:107.13. California Health Interview Survey. 2009.14. Finer LB, Henshaw SK. Disparities in Rates of Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 2006;38:90-6.15. National Prematurity Awareness Month. 2015. (Accessed June 27, 2016, at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/PrematureBirth/.)16. The impact of premature birth on society. 2015. (Accessed June 27, 2016, at http://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/the-economic-and-societal-costs.aspx.)17. Penman-Aguilar A, Carter M, Snead MC, Kourtis AP. Socioeconomic disadvantage as a social determinant of teen childbearing in the U.S. Public Health Rep 2013;128 Suppl 1:5-22.18. Maness SB, Buhi ER. Associations Between Social Determinants of Health and Pregnancy Among Young People: A Systematic Review of Research Published During the Past 25 Years. Public Health Rep 2016;131:86-99.19. Johnson K, Posner SF, Biermann J, et al. Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care--United States. A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care. MMWR Recomm Rep 2006;55:1-23.20. Bronfenbrenner U. The Ecology of Human Development : Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; 1979.21. Lu MC, Halfon NC. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Birth Outcomes: A Life-Course Perspective. Maternal and Child Health Journal 2003;7:13-30.22. Davies MJ, Norman RJ. Programming and reproductive functioning. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2002;13:386-92.23. Klawetter S. Conceptualizing Social Determinants of Maternal and Infant Health Disparities. Affilia 2014;29:131-41.24. Capitman JA, Bengiamin M. Operational and stautory capacity of local health departments in the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno, CA: California State University, Fresno; 2013.25. Basurto-Davila R. Health Impact of Changes in Funding Allocations to Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; 2014.26. California Demonstrates That Sound Policy Is Crucial In Reducing Teen Pregnancy. 2016. (Accessed May 19, 2010, at https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2010/california-demonstrates-sound-policy-crucial-reducing-teen-pregnancy.)27. Gilman SL. Fat : A Cultural History of Obesity. Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA, USA: Polity; 20
Spatial/Geographic Coverage All residents in the San Joaquin Valley.
Years of Data 2017