"Disparities in health outcomes have been widely acknowledged among American Indian communities nationally and, specifically, within the two target communities examined in this report. In its 2009 Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Report Card, the New Mexico Department of Health identified a number of health disparities for American Indians in New Mexico and the level of intervention required to address them. Disparities requiring urgent interventions included births to American Indian teens ages 15 to 17. After declining for more than a decade, the teen birth rate among American Indians increased 12%between 2005 and 2007, which was more than any other racial/ethnic group. Although birth to all teens in New Mexico fell 35% over the past decade, it still has the second highest rate in the U.S., especially in rural counties, where most American Indian teens reside. Prevention during the early teen years is needed, yet, only a limited number of programs are available that have been designed specifically for Native teens, and none have been rigorously evaluated. There is also limited research on the best ways to reduce teen pregnancy in the Native population. The Web of Life (WOL) program, which adapts Project Venture to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention, is designed to address these gaps. The WOL study was designed in part to support the Office of Adolescent Health's (OAH) Teen Pregnancy Prevention initiative's goal to support innovative pregnancy prevention strategies for youth that are both medically accurate and age appropriate."
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