County receives approval for teen pregnancy prevention funding

By Staff Writer

Teen pregnancy is a national issue that has been highlighted in recent years, due in part to television shows such as MTV's Teen Mom. In an effort to prevent teen pregnancy, the Graham County Board of Supervisors in Arizona recently approved next year's budget for programs, the Eastern Arizona Courier reports. The county's teen prevention initiatives were recently re-approved for $100,000 in funding through 2011.

Neil Karnes, County Health Department Director, told the news source that the program provides a variety of services designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies and drug use, as well as teach citizenship skills.

These programs are valuable, as the Guttmacher Institute reports that the U.S. has the highest levels of teen pregnancy among developed nations.

Prevention initiatives often include sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) awareness education as well.

It is estimated that 25 percent of teens in the U.S. will contract an STD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statistics also suggest that adolescents with mental health disorders or a history of psychiatric hospitalizations have intercourse at an earlier age, have more unintended pregnancies and have more sexual partners than their peers.