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California Teens Encounter Barriers to Accessing Family Planning Services Confidentiality Concerns, Community Attitudes and Lack of Affordable Services Prevent Teens from Receiving Contraceptives and Reproductive Healthcare LOS ANGELES, February 8, 2001 — A snapshot study released today by the “Get Real About Teen Pregnancy” public education campaign revealed that many Californian teens encounter significant barriers to accessing family planning services. The most common barriers are confidentiality concerns, community attitudes that disapprove of teens accessing services, and perceived lack of affordable services. “Get Real” commissioned the statewide study of healthcare providers because several organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control, ChildTrends Research and The Alan Guttmacher Institute, have found the use of contraceptives among sexually active teenagers to be a major contributor to the recent nationwide decline in teen pregnancy rates. “The reality is that at least half of California teens report having sex before they leave high school,” commented the “Get Real About Teen Pregnancy” public affairs director Traci Verardo, “If sexually active teens don’t use contraception regularly and correctly, they stand a good chance of unintended pregnancy or STDs.” Verardo reports that the “Get Real” public education campaign is particularly interested in identifying real or perceived barriers to teens getting the health and contraceptive services they need, so that communities can take the necessary steps to help sexually active teenagers prevent pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. An important barrier to teens accessing family planning services is their concern about confidentiality. Approximately 71 percent of the clinics surveyed are not able to offer separate office hours for teens and 87 percent of the clinics do not offer separate locations for teens. Because of this, teens fear that they will be seen by adult community members who may not approve of them seeking reproductive healthcare. Over one third of the clinics interviewed cited community attitudes as a barrier to teens accessing services. At least one clinic was forced to close its teen services at a high school because of opposition from town residents. Other clinics cited negative community attitudes as a barrier to engaging in proactive, visible outreach efforts to raise teens’ awareness about clinic services. “Adults often criticize teens for being irresponsible and not thinking of their future,” said Gary L. Yates, President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation. “However, sexually active teenagers that seek contraceptives are demonstrating responsible behavior. We should support them by ensuring that they have the access to and information about reproductive healthcare and contraceptives.” Ability to pay is another significant barrier to teens accessing contraceptives and family planning services. Though providers realize that teens require no or low cost services, 70 percent of clinics surveyed report that inadequate state reimbursement and rising medical costs often prevent them from meeting this goal. About one third of these clinics currently cannot provide free reproductive services to teens. A recent study of Family PACT by the California Office of Family Planning underlines the importance of providing contraceptive and reproductive healthcare services to women in need. The program saved California over $512 million that would have been spent on medical care and social services for mothers and children following births. This translates to every dollar spent on Family PACT saving $4.48 by preventing unintended pregnancies. This snapshot study consisted of interviews with staff at 60 community clinics and health care providers in 14 counties - Alameda, Fresno, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Monterey, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta, Solano and Stanislaus. Interviews were conducted by Communications Sciences Group and Philliber Research Associates to obtain information about the demographics of teens being served, types of services being provided and barriers to providing contraceptives to teens. About “Get Real” The “Get Real About Teen Pregnancy” public education campaign is part of a $60-million, 10-year Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative funded by The California Wellness Foundation. About The California Wellness Foundation Created in 1992 as an independent, private foundation, The California Wellness Foundation’s mission is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. ### |
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