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The antecedents and consequences of adolescent pregnancy attracted a great deal of research attention during the 1970's. National statistics show the number of births to adolescent mothers has been declining. To analyze trends in the incidence of births to adolescents in Maine between 1971 and 1980 and to provide a profile of the health and demographic characteristics of this population, computerized records of births to Maine mothers under 20 years of age were analyzed. Results showed births to teenage mothers as a percentage of total births declined from 17.1% in 1971 to 14.9% in 1980. The proportion of out-of-wedlock births to teenage mothers rose from 21.9% in 1971 to 41.8% in 1980. There was a trend toward better prenatal care, and the great majority of the infants were healthy. About two-thirds of the women were 18 and 19 year olds, while 4% were 15 or younger. Results also showed that 53% of the fathers were over 21 years old. Data indicate that trends in adolescent childbearing in Maine are not substantially different from the rest of the nation, and that progress has been made in dealing with the problems of teenage mothers. (JAC)

Although information regarding the consequences of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth is disseminated, the recipients of that information are most often adults. To present this information directly to never-pregnant adolescents, an annual conference, outside of the authority structure of the school was developed in Bangor, Maine. The three primary outcome goals of the conference are to identify community resources, identify resources for school-based follow-up programs, and to encourage teens to serve as resources to their peers. The conference is coordinated by four volunteer professionals, with an advisory panel of teens and adults assisting in planning the agenda and in identifying topics, facilitators, teen parents, and community professionals for panel discussions and film presentations. Community agencies and parents are solicited to underwrite costs. A small registration fee helps offset costs without prohibiting attendance. The organizers handle hall rental and advertising. The conference is held during school hours to maximize attendance. Evaluations of the conferences have shown that attendance increased from 180 the first year to 600 in subsequent years. Information about contraception, learning to say "no" to sexual involvement, and communicating with parents is consistently cited as most useful. Both films and teen panel discussions are rated highly. The focus of the conference has expanded from teenage pregnancy and sexuality to general adolescent development. (BL)

Health and demographic characteristics of adolescent and older mothers have been examined mostly in samples representative of urban populations often with large proportions of racial or ethnic minorities. The generalizability of data from urban, heterogeneous samples to service providers in states with large rural and semi-rural populations is questionable. This study analyzed the incidence of births to adolescents in Maine and compared the health and demographic characteristics of this population to those of older mothers. Data from the Maine Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics revealed that both the number of births to adolescents as a percentage of all births and the birth rate for adolescents declined through the 1970s and into the mid-1980s. The percentage of adolescents not married at the time they gave birth rose from 20.9% in 1970 to 58.0% in 1985. For the years of 1980 through 1984, adolescent mothers began prenatal care on average about one-half month later than did older mothers. Compared to infants born to older mothers, a higher percentage of infants born to adolescents weighed less than 2,500 grams. The trend was linear, with the highest percentage of low birthweight infants being born to the youngest mothers. The mean Apgar scores for infants born to adolescents were lower than were scores for infants of older mothers. Adolescents were disproportionately represented in the category of abortions. (NB)