The power of culture and context on Hispanic/Latina teen pregnancy and birth in Oklahoma: provider and parental perspectives

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore cultural-contextual factors that impact the high rate of Hispanic/Latina teen pregnancy in Oklahoma from the perspective of providers and parents. Methods: Community Based Participatory Research at the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma City; focus groups and in-depth interviews; 33 service providers and 14 Hispanic/Latino parents. Results: (a) The value of respect among Hispanic/Latino families is a risk factor for unplanned teen pregnancy. (b) Contextual aspects (i.e. local ideology, Mexican media, underfunded schools, permissive law enforcement in bars, lack of bilingual providers) place Hispanic/Latina female adolescents at greater risk of unplanned pregnancy. (c) Gender roles perpetuate inequality and deepen Hispanic/Latina females’ vulnerability to unplanned pregnancy. Conclusions: In addition to currently implemented communication tools and parenting skills to talk with adolescents about sexual health topics, interventions need to consider preferences that may be rooted in cultural aspects that could hinder the application of learned skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent Pregnancy
• Hispanic/Latina
• Culture/Context
• Respect
• Gender Roles

Acknowledgments

This research was possible thanks to a seed grant from IdEA Network for biomedical research from the College of Medicine of the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK and financial support from the Knee Center for Families from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. We are very appreciative to Pat Fennel and Claudia Barajas who were Founder/CEO and Operations Director, respectively, at the Latino Community Development Agency at the time of this study. We also thank service providers of LCDA and affiliated agencies as well as the parents who shared their experiences and ideas with us.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Seed grant from IdEA Network for biomedical research [College of Medicine. University of Oklahoma-Tulsa]; Knee Center for Families. University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.