Objective: Methamphetamine use among pregnant women is an increasing problem in the United States. Effects of methamphetamine use during pregnancy on fetal growth have not been reported in large, prospective studies. We examined the neonatal growth effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure in the multicenter, longitudinal Infant Development,…

The present study sought to evaluate (a) the effectiveness of an intervention in developing adolescents' argument skills regarding a decision on a topic of high potential personal relevance (teen pregnancy) or one of general social relevance (capital punishment), and (b) differential effects of the two topics in promoting the generalization of…

Accurately measuring pregnancy physical activity is critical to assess the percentage of pregnant women meeting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines. In addition, valid assessment of pregnancy physical activity is important for epidemiologic studies assessing the relationship between physical activity and…

This paper considers the area of perinatal death by focusing on the mother's experience. An argument is made for questioning whether mothers attempt to replace a dead infant. It is suggested instead that they long to mother their lost baby and as a result their new infant is mothered in the shadow of the dead baby. The term "penumbra baby" is…

Learning about students' literacy practices at a school for pregnant and parenting teens is a tool for educators and scholars in rethinking the identity of the pregnant and parenting student. Though this population of students has been historically marginalized in U.S. school settings, programs such as the one described here have the potential to…

The nature of maternity services has changed in the past 20 years, with a movement away from traditional (physician delivery in a hospital) towards other alternative services. This study examined alternative maternity services in Washington State, which ranks eighth in the country in the use of such services. Data were collected from birth and…

This staff brief was prepared for the Wisconsin Legislative Council's Special Committee on Teenage Pregnancy Prevention and Related Issues. It presents information on teenage pregnancy, programs to deal with teenage pregnancy, and proposed legislation from the 1989-1990 Wisconsin Legislative Session. Part I of the brief provides pregnancy data for…

This report addresses the problem of sexually active teenagers who either do not use contraception or use it inconsistently. Psychological and cognitive barriers to contraception use are briefly reviewed and the development of a cognitively oriented intervention designed to modify beliefs inimical to contraceptive use is discussed. The selection…

A number of questions relating to providing abortion information to teenagers can be raised from legal, ethical and philosophical standpoints. The purpose of this article is to examine abortion information-giving from the perspective of counseling and guidance theory and practice. (Author)

Although the birth rate among every maternal age group in the United States is declining, among teenagers the decline is evident only for older adolescents, regardless of marital status. Younger adolescents are delivering more, not fewer, babies. This article reviews studies relating to this phenomenon. (Author)

Data were collected in 1980 and 1982 on the non-coital and coital sexual experiences of male and female adolescents. Findings indicate that Whites are more likely than Blacks to engage in a predictable series of non-coital behaviors before their first intercourse experience. This may partly explain racial differences in adolescent pregnancy rates.…

The paper describes the background, planning and evaluation of a February 1985 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, on teenage pregnancy and parenthood. The author concludes that the symposium demonstrated the effectiveness of a collaborative community approach to issues of sexuality. (CL)

A review of research on the effects of alcohol consumption by pregnant women supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's warning about the possible negative effects (learning disabilities, hyperactivity, short attention span, and emotional liability) of children. (Author/CL)

At least 30 percent of newborn children of alcoholic mothers are affected severely by the fetal alcohol syndrome and 40-45 percent show some stigmata. Risks to offspring of mothers who drink occasionally or binge drink are not clear, but the danger is probably greatest in the first trimester of pregnancy. (CMG)