TUESDAY, April 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Most U.S. adults feel that supporting pregnant teens is a good investment in the baby's health, according to a report published by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
A nationally representative household survey was conducted for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The survey was administered to a randomly selected group of 2,005 parents, age 18 years and older, with children aged 0 to 18 years; the survey completion rate was 60 percent.
According to the report, eight out of 10 adults agree that state support for pregnant teens is a good investment in the baby's health; 60 and 69 percent of respondents feel that the state should definitely provide medical care for the mother and baby, respectively. Most respondents feel that in order to receive state support, pregnant teens should be required to attend prenatal visits or take parenting classes. Nine in ten adults believe that more should be done to require financial support from the baby's father; however, only 44 and 53 percent support state provision of paternity testing or legal help to get child support, respectively.
"The adults we polled are parents themselves; they prioritize the health of the pregnant teen and the baby and recognize that the cost of raising a child is substantial," Sarah J. Clark, M.P.H., from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, said in a statement. "The majority agree that the state has a role in supporting pregnant teens but are hesitant about assigning broad responsibility to the state."
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