Despite strong connections to their families and larger community, youth in rural areas often face significant disparities related to poverty, reside in medically under-resourced and underserved communities, and have limited access to healthcare education, services, and supports These experiences lead to youth in rural communities having reduced access to the sex education and sexual and reproductive health care that prepares them to avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Very few evidence-based programs are designed for and/or implemented with rural populations, which aligns with rural communities not being a primary focus of public health initiatives, programs, or research studies.
A better understanding and awareness of what it takes to engage young people and their families can help researchers and practitioners prioritize rural communities in teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. In many rural areas, community resources such as schools, churches, and civic institutions reflect cultural and social values. As a result, a strong sense of community and family-centeredness tend to be core to the culture of rural communities - assets that should be amplified and leveraged when seeking to engage individuals in these communities. However, if a researcher or practitioner does not mirror these values, community members may become disengaged, demonstrate disinterest, or speak negatively about their work. To encourage continued engagement in rural communities, this tip sheet provides six strategies rooted in the following three foundational principles:
- Humility - understanding and awareness of the community’s skepticism and being able to answer the question “Why are you here?” without being defensive
- Flexibility - adjusting to and accommodating the community’s needs or norms
- Reciprocity - demonstrating mutual benefits and opportunities to contribute
The strategies presented in the attached tip sheet have been developed alongside rural community partners for a current project in rural Georgia, the Morehouse Family Health Study. This study is evaluating an adolescent sexual health intervention that focuses on parents of teens ages 12 to 15.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the entire Morehouse Family Health Study, which includes our Child Trends team and partners at Morehouse School of Medicine and Tressa Tucker & Associates.
Suggested Citation
Offiong, A., Marria, A., Scott, A., Cook, E., Manlove, J. (2025) Six Strategies for Engaging in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Research and Programming. Child Trends. DOI: 10.56417/7939x4585d