| Despite a 20-year low, the United States continues to have the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates among all industrialized countries. As teen childbearing is associated with adverse consequences for teen mothers, fathers, and their children; it remains a priority of public health professionals, policymakers, and practitioners. Although empirical data reporting sexual determinants of teen pregnancy (such as frequency of intercourse, number of sexual partners, condom or contraceptive use, and early sexual debut) commonly tie males into conversations surrounding teen pregnancy; studies that explore the complexities of pathways to adolescent paternity are limited. Using adolescent data from the Mobile Youth Survey (N=6,562, x¯ age = 14.93), a longitudinal community-based survey of African American adolescent health-related risk and outcomes, this study responds to numerous recommendations of previous researchers to examine the —gendered and racial context of teen pregnancy. Results of this prospective study show promising results for predicting impoverished African Americans risk of teen paternity through the use of survey items related to their pregnancy intentions. |
