Preventing Teen Pregnancy in Oklahoma

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, focusing attention on the importance of helping teens avoid early sexual activity, unplanned pregnancy and too-early parenthood. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy engages teens in thinking about prevention by participating in an interactive online quiz and game.

Throughout the month of May, teens nationwide are asked to visit StayTeen.org

to take the National Day Quiz and play Level Up: An Epic Swiping Adventure, two engaging digital resources that challenge them to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment” – before they are in risk-taking situations. The goal is simple: help young people understand that they have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to become pregnant, and also to think seriously about what they would do in a stressful moment of peer pressure.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy has promoted teen pregnancy prevention as a key strategy for improving the health, education and economic prosperity of our state and its young people. High teen birth rates and the consequences of too-early, unprepared teen child-bearing has remained a costly reality in Oklahoma for far too long. Teen pregnancy is preventable when communities provide educational programs and health services that really work.

Strong, community-wide teen pregnancy prevention collaborations, campaigns and partnerships have emerged in Oklahoma County and Tulsa County, the two counties that represent over one-third of all teen births in the state each year. Thanks to strong community partnerships, local foundation support and federal teen pregnancy prevention grants, both metro areas and several tribes have been expanding teen pregnancy prevention initiatives that show clear success.

For teen pregnancy prevention factsheets and resources, check Healthy Teens OK! at healthyteensok.org. For other child well-being indicators, check: datacenter.kidscount.org.