Unplanned Pregnancy in West Virginia is a Serious Problem.
Unplanned pregnancy is a serious social problem in West Virginia. About 43
percent of West Virginia births are the result of an unplanned pregnancy.
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.
And this translates into high public sector costs for health care, social
services, and education in West Virginia. The majority of unintended
pregnancies occur among single women, but close to 30% also occur among married
women. Women between the ages of 20-29 are most vulnerable to an unintended
pregnancy.
To study unintended pregnancy, the causes, and the potential remedies, the
West Virginia Perinatal Partnership has partnered with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen
and Unplanned Pregnancy. Our focus of this study is on women ages 20-29. The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in
Washington, DC that has experience and expertise in studying the issue in other
states. For more than a decade, the National Campaign has worked to reduce teen
pregnancy—and is now expanding its mission to also focus on preventing unplanned
pregnancy among young adults.
A series of Learning Tour visits are being convened to ask West Virginia leaders
and health providers what they think are the causes of unplanned pregnancy among
young adults, and to identify promising remedies. The National Campaign is
collaborating with West Virginia Perinatal Partnership to organize this
important Learning Tour visit.
To gather input from health care and social service providers from around the
State, a Learning Tour meeting will be conducted via Webex. You are invited to
join us for this meeting. You must register in advance. For further
information click here: Invitation to Webex Conference on Unplanned
Pregnancy.
It is also helpful that in preparation for this meeting you review some of the
materials available to you on this page.
Our study has unveiled useful West Virginia specific data and information from
several sources, including the following.
- WV Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Surveillance System
- WV Vital Records and Health Statistics
- WV Family Planning Program
- Right From The Start Program
For further information please contact:
Joyce Daniels
2207 Washington Street East
Charleston, WV 25311
Telephone (304)346-8176
e-mail: joyce.w.daniels@verizon.net
