Nevada Drops to Fourth in Teen Pregnancy from Second Nationally

Published on Wed, May 8, 2013 (5:18 p.m.)

Submitted by SN-TPPP

May 4, 2013- SN-TPPP (Southern Nevada Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Project) has been working in the African American faith-based community in Las Vegas to educate and empower teenagers ages 14-19 to reduce teenage pregnancies. Recent reports indicate that Nevada’s teen pregnancy numbers have dropped from 2nd place to 4th nationally. The collaborative effort from SN-TPPP, the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Education for Quality Living (EQL) and the participating local African American faith based organizations are a big part of why these numbers are changing.

SN-TPPP, funded by the Office of Adolescent Health, is spearheaded by Dr. Melva Thompson-Robinson of UNLV and Dr. Charlene Day of EQL. This project works through African American faith-based organizations and provides a nine- week comprehensive sexual health education and skills building training for the participants. By the end of the sessions, the teenagers have the information, skills and strategies to abstain from sexual activity until they are ready, to effectively communicate feelings, and to protect themselves should they decide to engage in any form of sexual activity.

SN-TPPP was created to help reduce the high numbers of teenage pregnancies in Southern Nevada. Their approach is unique because it provides comprehensive sexual education in a faith-based setting using the much tested and proven evidence-based curriculum “Becoming A Responsible Teen.” The first three years of SN-TPPP have provided over 200 local teenagers with this compelling education. The next years will be used to make SN-TPPP a part of our community education for years to come with trained instructors from the community and youth who are beginning to teach the program to their peers. SN-TPPP team members feel we have a responsibility to our community and our teenagers to empower them with the knowledge and education to keep themselves safe.