UK HealthCare Young Parents Program
Dr. Stephanie Stockburger, a Pediatrician with UK HealthCare's Adolescent Medicine Clinic and their Young Parents Program's Teen and Tot Clinic, joins us to discuss the new UK HealthCare Young Parents Program and the resources it provides teen mothers in the community.
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Learn more about Stephanie Stockburger, MD
Stephanie Stockburger, MD
Stephanie Stockburger, MD |grew up in Richmond, KY, and attended Model Laboratory School for middle school and high school. She attended Eastern Kentucky University for college. She moved to Lexington to attend medical school at the University of Kentucky and have been at UK ever since!Learn more about Stephanie Stockburger, MD
Transcription:
UK HealthCare Young Parents Program
Joey Wahler (Host): Well, it's no surprise that most teen pregnancies in America are unplanned and the United States still has one of the world's highest teen pregnancy rates. Now, if you or a loved one is a teen parent, there is now where to turn for medical and other services. So we're discussing UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program. Welcome to UK HealthCast sponsored by UK Healthcare. I'm Joey Wahler. Our guest, Dr. Stephanie Stockburger, a pediatrician with UK Healthcare's Adolescent Medicine Clinic and their Young Parents Program, Teen and Tot Clinic. Dr. Stockburger, thanks for joining us.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you so much for having me..
Joey Wahler (Host): Let's start with some basic numbers. How common is teen pregnancy in Kentucky?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: That's a great question. And although the teen birth rates are decreasing overall in Kentucky and the United States, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of all developed nations, like you just mentioned. Kentucky has the seventh highest teen birth rate in the United States with about twenty-five teen births per 1000 women.
About one in five of all teen births are to teens who have already had a child and maybe pregnant with their second, third or later child. A third of live birth to teens received late prenatal care, which means they didn't receive prenatal care until the third trimester. And about three-quarters of teen births in Kentucky are to older teens, age 18 or 19. The rest, about a quarter, are to adolescents 17 and younger. Teen birth rates have fallen for all racial and ethnic groups. And in some cases, the gaps in teen birth rates have narrowed, but disparities do remain.
Joey Wahler (Host): Now, we all know, doctor, that the usual challenges teens face are daunting enough to say the least, but what are some of those obstacles and challenges faced by teen parents?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: So teen pregnancy has substantial health, economic and social costs. Pregnant teenagers are more likely to have miscarriages, premature birth, maternal illnesses like preeclampsia and hypertension, stillbirth and neonatal death, which is death after the baby is born.
Also, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school and never return, so they are more likely to not have a high school diploma. More than half of teen mothers never graduate from high school. And fewer than 2% have graduated from college by the time they are 30. Research suggests that teen fathers also do not receive as much education as their peers. This lack of schooling makes it more difficult for teen mothers and fathers to find and keep well-paying jobs. Seventy-five percent of unmarried teen mothers go on welfare within five years of having their first baby. Teen fathers also experience lower incomes.
There are mental health aspects to consider for teen parents. Pregnancy and parenting can strain the relationships between teen parents. Being a teen is a challenge in itself. Having a baby presents a whole new challenge. Depression is common among teen parents. They may feel guilty or anxious about the future. Their children are more likely to experience abuse or neglect because teen parents may feel overwhelmed by their unfamiliar and demanding roles as parents. Also about eight out of ten teen fathers don't end up marrying the mother of their first child.
The children of teen parents also face extra challenges. They're at greater risk for physical, cognitive and emotional problems. Children born to teen parents are more likely to score lower on standardized test scores and to drop out of high school. Daughters born to teen mothers are three times as likely to also become teen mothers, while sons are twice as likely to go to prison. Adolescent mothers and their children are a high risk group, both physically and emotionally. Poverty, malnutrition, complications of pregnancy, emotional problems like depression, drug and alcohol use are all risks for the mother. It's really important that we identify factors that influence the outcome on adolescent mothers and their children in order to help them and more positively affect their physical and psychological health.
Joey Wahler (Host): So being, doctor, that you certainly gave us a lot to digest there, it's good a time as any to ask you this, you're involved with UK Healthcare's unique program known as YPP or Young Parents Program, which helps address the issues you just mentioned. Who's eligible for it and what makes it so special?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Pregnant or parenting teens who are 20 years old or younger, as well as their children until the children are age 2 are eligible for the program. The mothers start with prenatal care at UK Women's Health Obstetrics and Gynecology. And the mothers, and we encouraged the fathers also, to establish care at the UK Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
There are several things that make this program unique. While pregnant, patients are seen by an obstetrician who is specially trained in adolescent obstetrics and gynecology. And in the adolescent medicine clinic, they see pediatricians who focus on the care of adolescents and teen parents. The care team includes a prenatal education coordinator, a dietician, nurses, and a social worker. Our care is focused on the needs of adolescent parents during their pregnancy and beyond. In the Adolescent Medicine Teen and Tots clinic, parents and babies can be seen at the same time for appointment. We really want to focus on the parents' physical and mental health in addition to the baby's health.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting that you mentioned mental health as well as physical, because obviously both are factors in situations involving teen parents. How about logistics, doctor? Where is this program located?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you for asking. Since the program consists of two clinics working together, there are two separate locations. While the teens are pregnant, they are seen at the UK Healthcare Women's Health and Obstetric Gynecology clinic for prenatal care and postnatal follow-up. That clinic is next to the Good Samaritan Hospital on Maxwell Street.
The second location is the Adolescent Medicine clinic, and that is located on the fourth floor of the Kentucky Clinic. We encourage teen parents to establish care during the pregnancy and then, after the pregnancy, they can continue care with their baby at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
Joey Wahler (Host): And while there are other clinics, of course, why doctor would you suggest someone choose UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: We are special in that we are the only adolescent medicine clinic in the state. We're the only teen and Tot clinic also that I know of in the state. And the only clinic that has appointments for mom and baby at the same time after the baby is born. And we provide all those other services, like the dietician and social worker and prenatal education coordinator. So I just think it is a wonderful program to support our young parents who really, really can need quite a bit of support at this time in their lives.
I haven't mentioned yet our wonderful mental health services. So once someone's established care at the Adolescent Medicine clinic, they are able to use our mental health services, which includes therapists, the psychologists and social workers. And the adolescent medicine healthcare providers are comfortable managing anxiety and depression and ADHD and eating disorders. So there's that whole aspect that we also provide at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
Joey Wahler (Host): Now, reducing teen pregnancy has long been an issue in America. As someone that works directly with young parents, do you have any thoughts, doctor, on how the teen pregnancy rate in this country and in Kentucky can be decreased?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: There are a number of things that can be done. One thing is really providing great sexual behavior education. So if people can have actual facts and then also improving contraception, counseling, and delivery, so if people or young women especially understand what different contraceptive methods are available and they have confidential care to get those methods, I think those things will go a long way and do go a long way to preventing and decreasing our teen pregnancies.
Joey Wahler (Host): So if someone wants to take advantage of all the wonderful things you've been mentioning, how can they schedule an appointment with UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Sure. So while they are pregnant, they would call the OB clinic, the number's 859-323-0005. And we would want them to mention the Young Parent Program or YPP when they are scheduling. To schedule in the Adolescent Medicine Teen and Tot Clinic, the number is 323-5643 and you would also want to mention YPP. And the area code for that is also 859.
Joey Wahler (Host): And so in summation here, if you're a teen parent that needs help with anything we've discussed or know someone in that situation now, again, there is a place to turn. Dr. Stephanie Stockburger of UK Healthcare. Thanks so much again.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you.
Joey Wahler (Host): And to learn more about UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program and everything we've been talking about, you can visit their website, it's ukhealthcare.uky.edu, and search YPP for Young Parents Program, or as Stephanie mentioned to me just before we got started today, you can just Google UK Healthcare YPP. And thanks so much for listening to UK HealthCast, sponsored by UK Healthcare. I'm Joey Wahler.
UK HealthCare Young Parents Program
Joey Wahler (Host): Well, it's no surprise that most teen pregnancies in America are unplanned and the United States still has one of the world's highest teen pregnancy rates. Now, if you or a loved one is a teen parent, there is now where to turn for medical and other services. So we're discussing UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program. Welcome to UK HealthCast sponsored by UK Healthcare. I'm Joey Wahler. Our guest, Dr. Stephanie Stockburger, a pediatrician with UK Healthcare's Adolescent Medicine Clinic and their Young Parents Program, Teen and Tot Clinic. Dr. Stockburger, thanks for joining us.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you so much for having me..
Joey Wahler (Host): Let's start with some basic numbers. How common is teen pregnancy in Kentucky?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: That's a great question. And although the teen birth rates are decreasing overall in Kentucky and the United States, the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of all developed nations, like you just mentioned. Kentucky has the seventh highest teen birth rate in the United States with about twenty-five teen births per 1000 women.
About one in five of all teen births are to teens who have already had a child and maybe pregnant with their second, third or later child. A third of live birth to teens received late prenatal care, which means they didn't receive prenatal care until the third trimester. And about three-quarters of teen births in Kentucky are to older teens, age 18 or 19. The rest, about a quarter, are to adolescents 17 and younger. Teen birth rates have fallen for all racial and ethnic groups. And in some cases, the gaps in teen birth rates have narrowed, but disparities do remain.
Joey Wahler (Host): Now, we all know, doctor, that the usual challenges teens face are daunting enough to say the least, but what are some of those obstacles and challenges faced by teen parents?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: So teen pregnancy has substantial health, economic and social costs. Pregnant teenagers are more likely to have miscarriages, premature birth, maternal illnesses like preeclampsia and hypertension, stillbirth and neonatal death, which is death after the baby is born.
Also, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school and never return, so they are more likely to not have a high school diploma. More than half of teen mothers never graduate from high school. And fewer than 2% have graduated from college by the time they are 30. Research suggests that teen fathers also do not receive as much education as their peers. This lack of schooling makes it more difficult for teen mothers and fathers to find and keep well-paying jobs. Seventy-five percent of unmarried teen mothers go on welfare within five years of having their first baby. Teen fathers also experience lower incomes.
There are mental health aspects to consider for teen parents. Pregnancy and parenting can strain the relationships between teen parents. Being a teen is a challenge in itself. Having a baby presents a whole new challenge. Depression is common among teen parents. They may feel guilty or anxious about the future. Their children are more likely to experience abuse or neglect because teen parents may feel overwhelmed by their unfamiliar and demanding roles as parents. Also about eight out of ten teen fathers don't end up marrying the mother of their first child.
The children of teen parents also face extra challenges. They're at greater risk for physical, cognitive and emotional problems. Children born to teen parents are more likely to score lower on standardized test scores and to drop out of high school. Daughters born to teen mothers are three times as likely to also become teen mothers, while sons are twice as likely to go to prison. Adolescent mothers and their children are a high risk group, both physically and emotionally. Poverty, malnutrition, complications of pregnancy, emotional problems like depression, drug and alcohol use are all risks for the mother. It's really important that we identify factors that influence the outcome on adolescent mothers and their children in order to help them and more positively affect their physical and psychological health.
Joey Wahler (Host): So being, doctor, that you certainly gave us a lot to digest there, it's good a time as any to ask you this, you're involved with UK Healthcare's unique program known as YPP or Young Parents Program, which helps address the issues you just mentioned. Who's eligible for it and what makes it so special?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Pregnant or parenting teens who are 20 years old or younger, as well as their children until the children are age 2 are eligible for the program. The mothers start with prenatal care at UK Women's Health Obstetrics and Gynecology. And the mothers, and we encouraged the fathers also, to establish care at the UK Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
There are several things that make this program unique. While pregnant, patients are seen by an obstetrician who is specially trained in adolescent obstetrics and gynecology. And in the adolescent medicine clinic, they see pediatricians who focus on the care of adolescents and teen parents. The care team includes a prenatal education coordinator, a dietician, nurses, and a social worker. Our care is focused on the needs of adolescent parents during their pregnancy and beyond. In the Adolescent Medicine Teen and Tots clinic, parents and babies can be seen at the same time for appointment. We really want to focus on the parents' physical and mental health in addition to the baby's health.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting that you mentioned mental health as well as physical, because obviously both are factors in situations involving teen parents. How about logistics, doctor? Where is this program located?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you for asking. Since the program consists of two clinics working together, there are two separate locations. While the teens are pregnant, they are seen at the UK Healthcare Women's Health and Obstetric Gynecology clinic for prenatal care and postnatal follow-up. That clinic is next to the Good Samaritan Hospital on Maxwell Street.
The second location is the Adolescent Medicine clinic, and that is located on the fourth floor of the Kentucky Clinic. We encourage teen parents to establish care during the pregnancy and then, after the pregnancy, they can continue care with their baby at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
Joey Wahler (Host): And while there are other clinics, of course, why doctor would you suggest someone choose UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: We are special in that we are the only adolescent medicine clinic in the state. We're the only teen and Tot clinic also that I know of in the state. And the only clinic that has appointments for mom and baby at the same time after the baby is born. And we provide all those other services, like the dietician and social worker and prenatal education coordinator. So I just think it is a wonderful program to support our young parents who really, really can need quite a bit of support at this time in their lives.
I haven't mentioned yet our wonderful mental health services. So once someone's established care at the Adolescent Medicine clinic, they are able to use our mental health services, which includes therapists, the psychologists and social workers. And the adolescent medicine healthcare providers are comfortable managing anxiety and depression and ADHD and eating disorders. So there's that whole aspect that we also provide at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic.
Joey Wahler (Host): Now, reducing teen pregnancy has long been an issue in America. As someone that works directly with young parents, do you have any thoughts, doctor, on how the teen pregnancy rate in this country and in Kentucky can be decreased?
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: There are a number of things that can be done. One thing is really providing great sexual behavior education. So if people can have actual facts and then also improving contraception, counseling, and delivery, so if people or young women especially understand what different contraceptive methods are available and they have confidential care to get those methods, I think those things will go a long way and do go a long way to preventing and decreasing our teen pregnancies.
Joey Wahler (Host): So if someone wants to take advantage of all the wonderful things you've been mentioning, how can they schedule an appointment with UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Sure. So while they are pregnant, they would call the OB clinic, the number's 859-323-0005. And we would want them to mention the Young Parent Program or YPP when they are scheduling. To schedule in the Adolescent Medicine Teen and Tot Clinic, the number is 323-5643 and you would also want to mention YPP. And the area code for that is also 859.
Joey Wahler (Host): And so in summation here, if you're a teen parent that needs help with anything we've discussed or know someone in that situation now, again, there is a place to turn. Dr. Stephanie Stockburger of UK Healthcare. Thanks so much again.
Dr Stephanie Stockburger: Thank you.
Joey Wahler (Host): And to learn more about UK Healthcare's Young Parents Program and everything we've been talking about, you can visit their website, it's ukhealthcare.uky.edu, and search YPP for Young Parents Program, or as Stephanie mentioned to me just before we got started today, you can just Google UK Healthcare YPP. And thanks so much for listening to UK HealthCast, sponsored by UK Healthcare. I'm Joey Wahler.