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Periodical Title

Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Objectives: Adolescents with subsequent pregnancies in the Dominican Republic represent a significant but poorly understood population with little available data to inform health care services. The objective of this exploratory study was to begin to characterize this important cohort. Methods: A survey of demographic items and a sexual and obstetrical history was administered to 50 adolescents with subsequent pregnancies in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Results: Most participants were married (78%) and exclusively economically dependent on their partner (72%) and nearly half (48%) stopped attending school. Twelve percent reported having intended their current pregnancy. Conclusions: Adolescents with subsequent pregnancies were dependent on partners in the form of living conditions and marriage, economic dependence and unemployment, and lack of education.

Cover Page Footnote

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Clínica de Familia La Romana and the Módulo Anexo Materno Infantil (MAMI) visualized this project for many years, to give greater insight into this vulnerable population. The author Christopher J. Fay was funded by the James B. Reynolds Scholarship for Foreign Study, associated with Scholarship Advising and the Office of Sponsored Projects at Dartmouth College. The author Kathryn E. Fay was funded by the Feinberg School of Medicine’s Global Health Initiative. The Program for Global and Population Health of Columbia University in New York was critical to the founding of Clínica de Familia La Romana, which is now an independent Dominican organization. The authors Mina Halpern and Luz A. Messina were employed by Clínica de Familia La Romana. The author Samantha B. Stonbraker was funded by the Reducing Health Disparities through Informatics (RHeaDI) training grant (T32 NR007969) funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health. The authors have no conflicts of interest. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS: Christopher J. Fay performed the survey, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. Kathryn E. Fay wrote the study protocol and the manuscript. Luz Messina wrote the survey, submitted the protocol for IRB approval, supervised the project, and contributed to the manuscript. Mina Halpern wrote the survey, provided feedback throughout the study, and contributed to the manuscript. Samantha B. Stonbraker reviewed data analysis.

Subject

Adolescent health services; Families -- Health and hygiene

Keyword

Adolescence, pregnancy in; Multiparity

Document Type

articles

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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