Missouri rural adolescent pregnancy project (MORAPP)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the pregnancy outcomes and ser vices available to adolescent women in Missouri, comparing rural and urban residents. A secondary analysis of a large public use data set obtained fro m the Missouri Department of Health was done for the 5-year period 1992 to 1996. Data were collected by county, with each of the 114 counties of the s tate classified as rural or urban. The SAS program was used for analysis. R esults demonstrated definite patterns of similarity and dissimilarity among the teen mothers based on residence, when age and race were controlled. Th ere were over 54,000 births to adolescent mothers in the 5-year study perio d. Among the outcomes of pregnancy studied were: abortion rates, inadequate weight gain, intrauterine growth retardation; and low-birthweight (LBW) in fants. Among the services available to the young mothers that were studied were fertility services, WIC (women, infants, and children supplemental nut rition) program, food stamps, and Medicaid coverage for pregnancy and infan t care. The outcomes are probably generalizable to Midwestern, rural/urban states similar to Missouri.