Unplanned pregnancy is a serious social problem in West Virginia. Studies show that unplanned pregnancy is at the root of a number of important public health and social challenges. Children born from unplanned pregnancies are at increased risk of low birth weight, developmental delays, and poverty. Unplanned pregnancies translate into high public sector costs for health care, social services, and education in West Virginia.
Recent statistics from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy show that the teen birth rate in West Virginia is one of the highest. As is the case nationally, West Virginia women under the age of 20 have higher rates of premature births, low birth weight rates, and infant mortality. The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership has a committee dedicated to working on reducing the number of teenage and unplanned pregnancies in the state. Click here for more information on the Partnership’s work with the National Campaign.
Related Resources
Related Links
- WV Perinatal Outcomes Follow-up Study 2013 Final Report (Report)
- WV Perinatal Outcomes Follow-up Study 2013 – County Profiles (Report)
- Adolescent Pregnancy: Risks and Complications (PowerPoint)
- Medicaid Matters: A Medicaid Waiver for Family Planning Can Improve Health and Save Dollars (White Paper)
- Spacing between Pregnancies is a Healthy Choice (Report)
- Study on the Incidence of Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing in West Virginia (White Paper)
- Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing in West Virginia (Webinar)
- Unintended Pregnancy in West Virginia: 1996-2006 (PowerPoint)
- Unplanned Pregnancy Among 20-Somethings: Key Facts and Consequences (Report)
- Unplanned Pregnancy Among 20-Somethings: The Full Story (Report)
- Unplanned Pregnancy in West Virginia (PowerPoint)
- U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births, and Abortions: National and State Trends by Race and Ethnicity (2010) (Report)
- West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Family Planning Program (PowerPoint)
- West Virginia Health Education and Teen Perinatal Outcomes (Report)
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Contact
Elizabeth Cohen, MSW, LICSW
(304) 598-4000 ext. 72944
cohene@wvuhealthcare.com
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