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Abstract
Teen pregnancy rates among Latinx youth are more than two times greater than Caucasian adolescents. Because undocumented or under-documented Latinx adolescents have less access to reproductive healthcare and education than those with documentation, pregnancy rates among undocumented Latinx adolescents may be higher than those with documentation. Given the numerous barriers affecting undocumented Latinx youth, these adolescents often face many challenges in making informed decisions regarding reproductive health and sexual activity. The goal of this study is to improve the sexual health and well-being of undocumented Latinx adolescents through additional health education materials for teen pregnancy prevention programs for Latinx youth. This study had two objectives. The first objective was to identify the challenges to reproductive health experienced by undocumented Latinx adolescents from the perspective of community members, parents, and youth in the Latinx community. The second objective was to develop and test educational materials that address those challenges. A total of 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted to address the first objective. From these interviews, four themes emerged: 1) Discussing sexual and reproductive health is uncomfortable, and health educators do not consider the Latinx cultural context; 2) Few services provide care regardless of immigration status; 3) Adults need accurate information and skills to talk with youth about sexual health; and 4) Undocumented Latinx youth need access to multilingual materials. These four themes informed four corresponding tools. These tools consist of 1) an activity to address machista and sexual and reproductive health terminology, 2) a resource to create a healthcare guide for undocumented Latinx youth, 3) information to assist parents’ discussion of sex with their children, and 4) resources to assist individuals communicating with Latinx non-English speakers. The activities were sent back to the participants, and 10 provided feedback on the newly developed materials. Their feedback was incorporated into the content. The tool created have the possibility to assist facilitators, parents, and youth with accessing safe sexual and reproductive healthcare and educational materials.