A HEALTHY PREGNANCY CURRICULUM FOR ADOLESCENT MOTHERS

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in birth weight of infants, tobacco use during pregnancy, and Apgar scores of infants between pregnant adolescents who successfully complete a healthy pregnancy curriculum and those who do not and to further examine the adolescent mothers perceptions of the major concepts included in a healthy pregnancy curriculum. The study involved the collection and analysis of retrospective data. Additionally, a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and follow-up interviews were conducted with former students to examine the adolescent mothers perceptions of the healthy pregnancy curriculum. Analyses of the data did not show statistical differences between adolescents who successfully completed a healthy pregnancy curriculum and those who did not complete a healthy pregnancy curriculum. However, the findings from the qualitative data provided by the students suggest that pregnant adolescents who successfully complete the class perceive the components of the healthy pregnancy curriculum as valuable and important.