Adolescent Health Report

Individual and Neighborhood Characteristics

Promoting healthy and appropriately timed pregnancies and births are key objectives for public health.  Research indicates that early investments in reproductive health initiatives improve the health and well-being of all individuals.1, 2  While substantial achievements have been made over the last 100 years, progress has slowed in the United States and we are now behind many peer high-income nations in achieving key maternal and child health goals as outlined by the World Health Organization.3  Further, there is much variability in outcomes across the US and California. An evidence-based consensus has emerged that potentially modifiable individual factors and more difficult but still modifiable environmental and social exposures dramatically impact reproductive health outcomes.  The importance of a comprehensive assessment of reproductive health outcomes and determinants in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) is key to improving the health of young women and future generations of SJV residents.

Read the full introduction