A curriculum for adolescent mothers: an evaluation.

One hundred and four indigent, pregnant adolescents were selected to evaluate the effect of a prenatal education curriculum presented in a maternity clinic. Adolescent mothers were visited 6 months postpartum to test which short-term, intermediate, and long-term curriculum content items were accurately and effectively retained. Success of the curriculum was evaluated by a trained social worker in the girls' home to ascertain how these content areas were reflected in the adolescent mother's behavior. Short-term matter-child health-care compliance content showed a high degree of success. Intermediate child-rearing content techniques often did not lead to appropriate behavior six months after the baby was born. Long-term educational and vocational performance content did not demonstrate effective long-term retention. Technical aspects of child-rearing, even when deliberately presented by health educators, did not appear to be easily applied in the extended family setting, and long-term goals seemed inconsistent with the adolescent's behavior.