Isle teen
pregnancies drop

But some teenagers are getting
pregnant earlier, a Health
Department study finds

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By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com

Teen pregnancies overall have decreased slightly in Hawaii, but numbers are going up in some pockets of the state, and ages are going down.

"It seems definitely in our program we are seeing girls younger," said Donna Tsutsumi-Ota, Teen Intervention Program director.

Statewide, pregnant girls from 10 to 19 years old totaled 2,806 last year, slipping from 2,841 in 1999, according to the state Health Department's Office of Health Status Monitoring.

The decrease is more significant considering the total female population in that age group increased to 79,168 from 76,883.

Live births to youths under age 19 rose to 1,809 last year from 1,782 in 1999. The number of fetal deaths dropped to 62 last year from 72 in 1999. Abortions fell to 935 last year from 987 in 1999.

Although the data spans 10- to 19-year-olds, the youngest to have a baby last year was 12. Three births occurred to 13-year-olds and 14 to 14-year-olds, for a total of 18 live births to mothers under age 15.

For those under age 15 in 1999, there were 14 live births to 14-year-olds, one to a 13-year-old and none to children younger.

The Big Island had the biggest jump, to 479 last year from 418 pregnant youths in 1999. That island's female population from 10 to 19 years old rose to 11,009 from 10,273.

"Sometimes the total outcome is not the best measure," cautioned Alvin Onaka, acting chief and state registrar of the Office of Health Status monitoring. "What needs to be looked at are trends."

A better indicator of the impact of programs to prevent teen pregnancy is the number seeking counseling, he said.

The Teen Intervention Program at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children has about 100 new young clients each year, said Tsutsumi-Ota.

"We tell them all options are difficult, but they made a mature decision to have sex, so they need information to make the best informed decision they can for themselves."

Programs and agencies concerned about teen pregnancy last year initiated an educational campaign: "Live Your Life ... Before You Make One." It focuses on adolescent wellness and prevention of teen pregnancy.

Mayor Jeremy Harris will sign a proclamation tomorrow to kick off this year's campaign activities, including student-designed teen pregnancy prevention posters in all city buses.

Public schools statewide have received 25,000 portfolios designed by teen Jason Ulep with cartoon characters depicting high school students talking about pregnancy-related issues. The same artwork is on the posters.

Teen hotline offers advice Teens and young adults can get information and help by calling the Teen Line: 521-TEEN (8336). The automated telephone system covers a variety of topics, such as sexuality, social, school and emotional concerns, talking with parents, drugs and physical health. Peer listeners are available weekday afternoons to talk with callers.

Kari Wheeling, project director at Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, which is coordinating the campaign, said it's "coming from a preventative standpoint and building awareness" among teens.

The agencies stress the health and social consequences of teen pregnancy, with risks of premature births, low birth weights, developmental or learning delays and abuse and neglect. They cite national statistics that more than half of families on welfare began with a teen pregnancy.

"A lot of them, because they're teens, feel it's not going to happen to them," said Tsutsumi-Ota, so while they may know about contraception, "very few are on it at the time."

Teen pregnancy usually is a symptom of something else, she said. "It all boils down to family. We need to educate our families to talk, to have a better relationship, to give our kids skills to deal with this complicated life we've provided -- drugs, drinking, smoking, sex."

The Teen Intervention Program offers counseling to teens and families and prenatal parenting classes. Pregnant teens are encouraged to go to the classes so they will have healthy babies and know how to care for them, Tsutsumi-Ota said.

They also learn what to expect with their body, she said. "As a teen, their body still is developing itself. Having a baby puts added stress in the body."

The program takes teen moms to elementary and middle schools to talk to fifth- and sixth-graders about puberty and peer pressure, Tsutsumi-Ota said.

The schools also are asked to involve the students' parents, she said, adding, "Most parents say their children are only going to listen to friends, but most teens say they want to talk to parents."

Puppet shows were developed to make fifth- and sixth-graders more comfortable talking about sex and pregnancy. The subjects: "Boys and Girls are Different" and "Myths about Motherhood."

In comments from the students, Tsutsumi-Ota said, "They tell us, 'I never knew that. I never knew a fifth- or sixth-grader could get pregnant. I never knew how hard it was for our mom and dad.'"

Students are given homework assignments to discuss some questions with parents. "Hopefully, it might be a little nudge to get the child and parent talking," she said.

"It's difficult," she said, because the subject is "really all around us, but we're not open about talking with our own children or even with each other. It's kind of a dichotomy. Unless we get a balance, we're going to continue having a (teen) pregnancy problem."