Personal Responsibility Education Program
Minnesota Target Populations

Youth of color often experience unique social, economic, and cultural barriers to preventing unintended pregnancy. These include lack of transportation conflicts with scheduling, financial issues, and worry of confidentiality breaches.

• Promote reproductive justice
• Promote gender-specific interventions
• Support structural interventions to redress disparities
• Utilize sex education platforms within social networks
• Promote peer support

Augustine, J. 2010. Youth of color at disproportionate risk of negative sexual health outcomes. Advocates for youth.

Teadt, S., Burns, J.C., Montgomery, T.M., & Darbes, L. (2020) African American adolescents and young adults, new media and sexual health: Scoping Review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth,8(10), e19459-e19459. https://doi.org/10.2196/19459  

In Minnesota, American Indian adolescents have the highest teen pregnancy rate compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. These outcomes are a result of harmful polices such as the boarding school system, and forced relocation, that may cause in generational trauma. Today, many of the communities that American Indian and Native youth live in are heavily effected by health disparities, poverty, violence in the family, crime, and barriers to healthcare. It is important that American Indian and Native youth receive education that matches their lived experiences. The Minnesota-based Native Teen Voices study of 148 Native male and female adolescents identified five themes for preventing teen pregnancy in Native communities. 

• Show Native youth the reality and impact of adolescent pregnancy
• Enhance and develop culturally relevant school- and community-based pregnancy prevention programs for Native youth through the implementation of Native-led pregnancy prevention discussions (relying on family members and elders) and culturally based activities and programs (e.g., include Native ceremonies and other cultural practices)
• Improve Native adolescents' access to contraceptives
• Discuss adolescent pregnancy with Native youth, allowing them the opportunity to talk to Native peers and facilitators or other trusted adults about the issue.
• Use key prevention messages and media which include representations of AI/AN youth to reach Native youth.

Skye, M., McCoy, T., Kelley, A., Singer, M., Rushing, S.C., Donald, C., Rajani, K., Morgan, B., Zaback, T., & Lambert, W. (2021) Effectiveness of Native STAND: A five year study of a culturally relevant sexual health intervention. Adolescents, MPDI. 1,321-334.  

Whitesell, N.R., Mousseau, A., Parker, M. et al. Promising practices for promoting health equity through rigorous intervention science with indigenous communities. Prev Sci 21 (Suppl 1), 5–12 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0954-x 

Latino adolescents are a diverse group accounting for a spectrum of cultural traditions, countries of origin, language proficiency, educational attainment, generational status, levels of acculturation, and socioeconomic status. Latino adolescent are more likely to experience teen pregnancy, and STIs compared to their non-Hispanic white peers. Pregnancy prevention programs for Latino teens should be culturally specific and sensitive to the many differences among Latino youth populations in order to be successful. Other important factors include working with Latino families and promoting Latino cultures as a source of strength for healthy decision making. 

Vexler, E.J. and Suellentrop, K. (2006). Bridging two worlds: How teen pregnancy prevention programs can better serve Latino youth. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Alejandra,C.(2023) A midwestern united states Latino study of sexual behaviors among Latino adolescents. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12086.https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12086

Area learning centers are non-traditional educational settings tailored to students who require support and opportunities not available in conventional school environments. Youth in Minnesota area learning centers report more sexual risk behavior and have a higher rate of pregnancy than their peers in traditional high schools. (Minnesota Student Survey, 2010).

There are over 240 area learning centers and programs in Minnesota, primarily serving middle and high school students. Alternative programs may offer year-round programming, hands-on experiential approaches, resources for social emotional issues, vocational or career emphasis, independent study options for students over the age of 16 and both day or evening courses.

(Snapshots on Minnesota Youth. Vol. 3, Issue 4, Feb. 2012. The Minnesota Departments of Education, Health, Human Services and Public Safety are pleased to present a series of reports focusing on issues facing Minnesota youth).

Minnesota Department of Education (n.d). Alternative learning. Retrieved from Alternative Learning (mn.gov)

Minnesota has an estimated 12,400 children in foster care, and teens make up over one-quarter of youth in foster care. Research has found that youth in foster care report frequent pressure to engage in sexual activity. Unemployment and inadequate information about pregnancy prevention can lead to having a child at a young age. 40% of teens in the foster care system have at least one child by the age of 21. Teens in foster care also discuss challenging or absent relationships with parents, but a desire to have strong connections and communication with adults in their life.

Primary and secondary prevention of teen pregnancy is essential to meeting the needs of this population. Strategies include ensuring proper healthcare and supporting teen parents in finishing school and becoming self-sufficient, as well as providing accurate high-quality information and education about teen pregnancy to all youth.

Love, L. T., McIntosh, J., Rosst, M. and Tertzakian, K. (2005). Fostering hope: Preventing teen pregnancy among youth in foster care. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Villagrana, K. M., Carver, A. T., Holley, L. C., Ogbonnaya, I. N., Stott, T., Denby, R., & Ferguson, K. M. (2024). ‘You have to go hunting for information’: Barriers to service utilization among expectant and parenting youth with experience in foster care. Child & Family Social Work, 29(2), 571–583. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13116 

Foster care: Temporary out-of-home care for children, Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2021.

Adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system are often exposed to a variety of risk factors that can contribute to increased sexual risk behavior. Since detained youth report earlier sexual debut than their peers, interventions targeting this population should begin early.

Many of these youth report depressive symptoms, drug use, gang involvement, exposure to community violence, and sexual abuse. Important topics to include in programming for youth in juvenile justice are intimacy, communication, assertiveness, gender role expectations, and problem solving, in addition to the reproductive basics of anatomy, physiology, and contraception.

Gowen, L. K., & Aue, N., Eds., (2011). Sexual health disparities among disenfranchised youth. Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority and Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University.

Saleeby, E., O'Donnell, B., Jackson, A. M., Muñiz, C., Chung, P. J., & Sufrin, C. (2019). Tough choices: Exploring decision-making for pregnancy intentions and prevention among girls in the justice system. Journal of correctional health care: the official journal of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 25(4), 351–361

Data shows that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer + (LGBTQ+) adolescents have substantial health disparities, which puts them at risk for increased negative physical health and mental health, and negative life outcomes including factors like stigma and discrimination.

Recommendations for improving sexual health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth include:

• Increase and support Gay-Straight Alliances and support groups in schools
• Work with parents of LGBTQ+ adolescents to help increase understanding and acceptance of their child's gender and/or sexual identity
• Provide LGBTQ+ -sensitive sexuality education

Gowen, L. K., & Aue, N., Eds., (2011). Sexual health disparities among disenfranchised youth. Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority and Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University.

Kesler, K., Gerber, A., Laris, B. A., Anderson, P., Baumler, E., & Coyle, K. (2023). High School FLASH Sexual Health Education Curriculum: LGBTQ Inclusivity Strategies Reduce Homophobia and Transphobia. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 24( 2), 272–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-023-01517-1  

Reaching homeless and runaway teens can be challenging, although research has shown that the internet and social media may be a promising way to engage these youth and help increase positive sexual health outcomes. Research has shown that youth that are experiencing homeless will experience sexual health issues at an increased rate compared to those who have stable housing. Up to 46% of youth experiencing homelessness have experienced a STI, and up to 60% have experienced pregnancy. (Craddock et al., 2020) Programs targeting homeless youth should be tailored to gender, sexual orientation, and duration of homelessness. Programs targeting homeless youth should be tailored to gender, sexual orientation, and duration of homelessness.

A 2015 single night count of homeless individuals in Minnesota found 1,463 unaccompanied youth and 3,296 youth under 17 accompanied by parents who were homeless. (Wilder Research. 2016. Homelessness in Minnesota: Key findings: 2015 Minnesota Homeless Study.) These youth have unique experiences and require programming that is specific to their needs.

Gowen, L. K., & Aue, N., Eds., (2011). Sexual health disparities among disenfranchised youth. Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority and Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University. Craddock, J. B., Barman-Adhikari, A., Combs, K. M., Fulginiti, A., & Rice, E. (2020). Individual and social network correlates of sexual Health communication among youth experiencing homelessness. AIDS and behavior, 24(1), 222–232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02646-x

Teen parents face a unique set of social and economic challenges that impact their ability to prevent additional pregnancies. Two indicators of a teenager becoming a parent are academic struggles and lower socio-economic status. In addition to their own health outcomes, teen parents must also tend to the health needs of their child. Effective ways to prevent subsequent births among teen mothers include:

• Social support programs
• Mentoring
• Nurse home visitation
• School-based model

Lewis, C. M., Faulkner, M., Scarborough, M., & Berkeley, B. (2012). Preventing subsequent births for low-income adolescent mothers: an exploratory investigation of mediating factors in intensive case management. American Journal of Public Health, 102 (10), 1862-1865.

Harding, J. F., Knab, J., Zief, S., Kelly, K., & McCallum, D. (2020). A Systematic Review of Programs to Promote Aspects of Teen Parents' Self-sufficiency: Supporting Educational Outcomes and Healthy Birth Spacing. Maternal and child health journal, 24(Suppl 2), 84–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02854-w