School Disengagement, School-Age Births and High School Graduation: Evidence From Linked Administrative Records.

Background: Failure to complete secondary education often results from a process of educational disengagement. Studies of teen childbearing and high school completion have not adequately accounted for the role of school disengagement prior to conception and may overestimate causal impacts of teen childbearing.

Methods: We link New York City birth and school records to study a cohort of 22,484 Black and Latina public school students.

Longitudinal Patterns of School Disengagement before Conception among New York City Teen Mothers.

Background: School-based pregnancy prevention programs should optimally be offered while students are still engaged in school since early disengagement is strongly associated with risk of a teen birth.

Methods: We used linked New York City birth and enrollment data (2005-2013), a sample of 6,809 teen mothers (mean age conception = 16.2 years).

Racial/ethnic differences in impact of gestational weight gain on interconception weight change.

Describe the association between gestational weight gain (GWG) and interconception weight change within race/ethnic groups, and differences across them. Data are from linked New York City birth certificates 1994-2004. The sample comprised nulliparous women ages ≥18 with two consecutive singleton births (N = 115,651).

Early age of first sex and health risk in an urban adolescent population.

Background: Early sex is associated with high-risk behaviors and outcomes, including sexual risk behaviors, forced sex, physical dating violence, and becoming pregnant or impregnating someone.

Methods: Using 2005 and 2007 data from the New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 17,220), this study examined the prevalence of early sex among public high school students; associations between early sex and other sexual risk factors and violence indicators; and whether associations varied across 4 racial/ethnic groups. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression models estimated the relationship between sexual risk and violence outcomes and "early sex," defined as first having sexual intercourse before age 14.

Medication abortions among New York City residents, 2001-2008.

Context: Population-level research on trends in medication abortions and the association of patient characteristics and facility type with procedure choice is limited. Surveillance is necessary to ensure accurate reporting and understanding of service availability.

Methods: New York City induced abortion data for 2001-2008 were used to calculate medication abortion prevalence among women undergoing early abortions (i.

Maternal smoking and the timing of WIC enrollment.

Objective: To investigate the association between the timing of enrollment in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and smoking among prenatal WIC participants.

Methods: We use WIC data from eight states participating in the Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System (PNSS). We adjust the association between the timing of WIC participation and smoking behavior with a rich set of maternal characteristics.

Reassessing the WIC effect: evidence from the Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System.

Recent analyses differ on how effective the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is at improving infant health. We use data from nine states that participate in the Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System to address limitations in previous work. With information on the mother's timing of WIC enrollment, we test whether greater exposure to WIC is associated with less smoking, improved weight gain during pregnancy, better birth outcomes, and greater likelihood of breastfeeding.