Answer

Intervention of Pregnancy among African Americans

PICOT Question: In Teenage African Americans (P), how does Abstinence (I) compared to Medical birth control methods C) help control teenage pregnancies (O) within 12 months (T)?

Teen pregnancy has been an ongoing debate among all facets of the American society, where the African American teens are mostly the victims. Race and class have been identified as significant determinants of high prevalence of pregnancies among teens, as well as other factors such as unemployment rates. The common public conception of the social issue of teenage pregnancy is a dire one, and this is counterintuitive to two major factors: first, for minor black teenagers, rates have been seriously increasing, and most scholars actively argued that poverty is to blame for this alarming rate (Hoskins & Simons, 2015). While modernity has seen a stable decrease in this social error, concerns are still rife as to how it can be steadily controlled. This paper proceeds to do a literally analysis of the efficacy of using abstinence as a method of control, in comparison to modern birth control methods.

In the United States, it is a fact that racial discrimination and class disparity exist, with the black community mostly on the receiving end. Hoskins and Simons (2015) estimate that black teenagers get pregnant at the rate of 5-10 out of 50 individuals. This is a very high rate as compared to their white counterparts, with only about 1-2 cases out of the same population. As earlier mentioned, poverty has been cited as a giant contributor, but other underlying factors such as proper education and community support including religious teachings are also to blame.

According to Wilson GoeslingColman, Trenholm, Terzian, and Moore (2014), the best sociological explanation of the high rates of teenage pregnancies among blacks sets on culture, which have construed a sense of social disorganization among black families. The author analyses the context within which African American girls become women, and the societal expectations placed on them. The view on the role of a girl or a woman in the African context weakens the female gender and makes her dependent on the males, thus, effectively converting her into a victim (GoeslingColman, Trenholm, Terzian, & Moore, 2014). Such belief that females have to bow down to the pressures and superiority of men plunges the former into poverty, unless actively educated and socially lifted to believe in themselves.

Although there are many ways to prevent teenage pregnancies, this paper focusses on abstinence as the best, since it guarantees no risk of sexually transmitted diseases, and is a perfect cushion against unwanted pregnancies.  For a long time, abstinence has been brushed aside as a religious gig, or a holier-than-thou moral belief, but over time, it is becoming a feasible control method to rampant teenage pregnancies, especially with the emergence of HIV/AIDS.  In his article, Childs, Knight, and White (2015) reiterate that sexual abstinence is not actually associated with any public health risks, and is the safest intervention methods for pregnancies that should be adopted among teenagers.

In order to understand the proposed method of abstinence, it is imperative to delve deep into the alternative/ comparison, which is contraception. In abstract way, it is important to note that inasmuch as abstinence remains the best lauded method of pregnancy control, many teenagers engage in sexual intercourse. Thus, in schools, various contraceptive methods are been taught, especially the use of a condom (Childs, Knight, & White, 2015). The only problem that arises in the promotion and adoption of this method is that teens are not adequately educated on the various forms of birth control that are viable and compliant to their health status. As such, contraceptives have far-reaching health risks, including chances of infections, health complications such as hormonal imbalances, or even pregnancy. In fact, it is the meagre availability of information that mostly drives teenagers to have sex without protection, or any control method. Parents, schools, and the society in general need to make this information more available. Due to the failure rates of the contraceptive methods, this paper hypothesizes that abstinence is the best method so far.

In order to make this a reality, it is important to understand effectively the health and demographic concerns of the chosen population. As earlier noted, black teenagers most bow down to pressure due to economic disadvantages, as well as their cultural construct. It would be effective to extend the universal healthcare coverage to every American citizen regardless of status, just like the ObamaCare Act had envisaged (Coyle, et al., 2016). This would help promote equity in healthcare, and ensure that all teenagers have adequate and quality access to healthcare information, assistance, and mediation. The health department could also closely work with schools and religious organizations to deconstruct the societal beliefs that put women naturally below men. Such empowerment would raise the esteem of female teenagers and have them stand a better chance of saying NO to teenage sex, as this is the basic foundation of abstinence.

In conclusion, abstinence remains the best method of teenage pregnancy control, as it holds no risks of infection, moral behaviour degradation, and eliminates totally the chances of pregnancy, as opposed to other methods such as contraception that have some slim chances of conception. This paper proposes that proper methods and plans be institutionalized to make this method a primary intervention method, by ensuring healthcare equity, proper teen education on sexual matters, and upholding of high moral standards through coalition with churches and other support systems.