course material

1. Health Grant Writing Approach
Running head: GRANT PROPOSAL 1 A Grant Proposal to the Federal Government on
Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive health GRANT PROPOSAL 2 A Grant Proposal to the
Federal Government on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive health Introduction There are
approximately 1 billion individuals between 10 and 19 years living the world today. Nearly
70 per cent of them are living in developing countries under different conditions from the
previous generations. They have greater access to formal education, technology and social
media, which exposes them to more exposure to new ideas at a young age. A combination of
these factors results in engagement in sexual activity at a young age, causing early
marriages or even unplanned pregnancies. The dangers of engaging in early sexual activities
could also have health concerns in the era of HIV/AIDS. The government should be at the
forefront of promoting health education to reduce the impacts of sexual activity among
adolescents. Background Adolescent sexual and reproductive health involves the
development of initiative that educate individuals on the benefits of abstinence as a method
of birth control. Nevertheless, those who cannot abstain should be taught the various family
planning techniques available so that they can prevent unplanned pregnancies. Vázquez-
Nava et al. (2014), estimate that unplanned pregnancy constitutes between 33 and 82% of
the adolescent pregnancies across the world. The impacts of unplanned pregnancy vary
depending on the family support of the individual with a majority of the students dropping
out of school to take care of their newborns. This is common for students from low-income
families and they are more likely to transfer poverty to future generations. A significant
portion of the adolescents who get pregnant end up getting married. According to the
Science Daily (2017), some of the adverse effects of early marriages include pregnancy-
related complications associated with the young body. Adolescents engaging in early
marriages may also be susceptible to malnutrition, poor mental health and GRANT
PROPOSAL 3 domestic violence. They may also have limited access to contraception and
therefore having many children which increases poverty levels. Even worse is the fact that
the trend may follow for their daughters, who may also marry young resultantly expanding
the level of poverty along the family line. Adolescents who find themselves pregnant may
end up aborting their unborn children. While most states in the United States have legalized
abortion, many developing nations continue to term abortion as illegal. This often sees
pregnant teens resulting in unsafe mechanisms to abort their unborn children. A study
conducted by Ushie, Izugbara, Mutua and Kabiru (2018), reveals that the complications
associated with unsafe abortions are some of the leading causes of mortality in mothers in

2. sub-Saharan Africa. The research utilized a sample of 1145 adolescents with a diagnosis of
incomplete, missed, inevitable, complete or septic abortion for the past one month. The
results revealed that eight per cent of the participants had a previous induced abortion.
46% of the participants sought abortion at an advanced age, and this contributed to a high
rate of post-abortion complications. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (2018),
acknowledges that youths between the ages of 15 and 24 years are at a high risk of
acquiring sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and HPV for females. Despite
these high rates of STDs among the youths, it remains difficult for them to receive STD
prevention services due to long waiting lines, inadequate funds for the services, method of
specimen collection, embarrassment associated with seeking treatment for STDs and the
conflict between the clinic and school hours. Strategic activities The factors discussed above
reveal that there is an urgent need to develop strategies directed towards the promotion of
adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The government GRANT PROPOSAL 4 should
offer resources geared towards the promotion of sexual education in schools to ensure that
adolescents understand the risks associated with early sexual activity so that they can
change their behavior to avert these risks (World Health Organization, 2009). Health and
reproductive education should also focus on the various contraceptives available so that
girls can protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies. The government could even
distribute free condoms to students so that they can adopt responsible sexual behavior. The
government should also collaborate with the health sector for the development of friendly
health services for adolescents. These could include interventions to reach the
marginalized, responses to generate community acceptance, and facility and out of facility-
based interventions (Denno, Hoopes and ChandraMouli, 2015). Positive Youth Development
programs are also necessary for increasing the awareness of the youths of the dangers
associated with irresponsible sexual activity. Gavin, Catalano and Markham (2010),
acknowledge that the introduction of such strategies in schools will help students to apply
the knowledge acquired in sex education programmes. Positive Youth Development
programs also encourage youths to have a positive approach towards the developmental
challenges other than engaging in irresponsible sexual activity. Conclusion Advancements in
technology have enabled youths to access new ideas and eventually engaging in early sexual
activity. The implication is that there is an increase in adolescent pregnancy, and this affects
their academic performance. Most of the students from low-income families are forced to
drop out of school for the lack of family or financial support. Others result in early
marriages that subject them to a myriad of problems including mental disorders, violence
and a lack of access to contraceptives. Some of the youths may seek unsafe abortion
practices that may result in death or complications during subsequent pregnancies. The
government should GRANT PROPOSAL 5 intervene in the development of public education
programs geared towards addressing the problem of irresponsible sexual activity among
youths. Collaboration with the health sector is also necessary in the development of safe
mechanisms for accessing reproductive healthcare among adolescents. GRANT PROPOSAL 6
References Centers for Disease and Prevention Control. (2018). STDs in Adolescents and
Young Adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats18/adolescents.htm Denno, D.
M., Hoopes, A. J., & Chandra-Mouli, V. (2015). Effective strategies to provide adolescent

3. sexual and reproductive health services and to increase demand and community support.
Journal of adolescent health, 56(1), S22-S41. Gavin, L. E., Catalano, R. F., & Markham, C. M.
(2010). Positive youth development as a strategy to promote adolescent sexual and
reproductive health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46(3), S1-S6. Science Daily. (2017,
December 11). Multiple health implications of women’s early marriage go beyond early
childbearing. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171211140834.htm Ushie, B. A.,
Izugbara, C. O., Mutua, M. M., & Kabiru, C. W. (2018). Timing of abortion among adolescent
and young women presenting for post-abortion care in Kenya: a crosssectional analysis of
nationally-representative data. BMC women’s health, 18(1), 41. Vázquez-Nava, F., Vázquez-
Rodriguez, C. F., Saldívar-González, A. H., Vázquez-Rodríguez, E. M., Córdova-Fernández, J. A.,
Felizardo-Ávalos, J., & Sánchez-Márquez, W. (2014). Unplanned pregnancy in adolescents:
Association with family structure, employed mother, and female friends with health-risk
habits and behaviors. Journal of Urban Health, 91(1), 176-185. GRANT PROPOSAL World
Health Organization. (2009). Promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health through
schools in low income countries: an information brief (No. WHO/FCH/CAH/ADH/09.03).
World Health Organization. 7 Running head: HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE Health Grant
Outline: A Grant Proposal to the Federal Government on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive health 1 HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE 2 Executive Summary ➢Problem-The
impact of unplanned pregnancies among teenagers varies, with the majority of girls
dropping out of school to take care of their newborns, getting married at an early age,
practicing unsafe abortions, and being exposed to sexually transmitted diseases such as
HPV and chlamydia (Science Daily, 2017). ➢Solution- Resources should be directed towards
the advancement of sexual education in schools to make sure that teenagers understand the
dangers associated with early intercourse so that they can modify their behavior to avoid
these risks. The government should collaborate with positive youth development programs
to increase awareness of the dangers of unplanned pregnancies as well as advocate for the
use of contraceptives. ➢Funding Requirements- Positive Youth Development Network
(PYDN) requests $635,472 for eight months-sexual health education program for teenagers
in southwestern Minnesota. Sexual health education will be offered in schools. It will
include promoting the need to abstain, increasing awareness of the dangers associated with
irresponsible sexual activities, and advocating for the use of contraceptives. ➢Organization
and its expertise- Positive Youth Development Network is a not for profit organization
based in Minnesota that empowers youth as well as addresses youth concerns in areas of
reproductive health services and education. Statement of Need ➢A study by Vázquez-Nava
et al. (2013) indicated that unintended pregnancy makes 33% to 82% of adolescent
pregnancies globally. ➢The impact of unplanned pregnancies among adolescents includes
girls dropping out of school to take care of their newborns, getting married at an early age,
practicing unsafe HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE 3 abortions, and being exposed to sexually
transmitted diseases such as HPV and chlamydia. ➢In nations that abortion is not legalized,
teenagers are at risk of practicing unsafe abortions that are increasing mortality. Other
complications associated with unsafe abortions include long-term damage and injury to
internal organs, infections, bleeding, and incomplete abortions. ➢Unplanned participation

4. in sexual activities among teenagers exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases such as
chlamydia. ➢However, increasing sexual health awareness and providing contraceptives
among teenagers is likely to reduce the impact of early and unintended pregnancies among
teenagers. ➢A study by Oringanje et al. (2016) demonstrated that interventions comprising
a combination of sexual health education and contraception reduced unplanned
pregnancies among teenagers significantly. The study also showed that behavioral
outcomes had gaps across trials. ➢Fox and Barfield (2016) also revealed that since the
Affordable Care Act has increased teenage access to contraceptive methods to reduce
unintended pregnancies, public health workers and healthcare professionals need to
educate women about the availability and use of these methods. Project Descriptions ➢
Objectives- Fox and Barfield (2016) indicate that women of all ages are likely to use
contraceptive methods when these methods are accompanied by patient education and
counselling. HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE 4 ➢A committee report by the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) (2017) revealed that pregnancies in adolescents
have been reducing the past years because adolescents are using contraceptives effectively.
Data gathered from 201 to 2013 demonstrated that more teenagers used contraceptives at
the time of their first intercourse compared to females before 1985. As a result, the birth
rate among adolescents in the United States reached a historic low of 22.3 per 1,000 in
2015. Data collected from 20072015 showed that unintended pregnancies in females aged
15-17 years fell by 54% while in women aged 18-19 years, unplanned pregnancies fell by
43% (Adolescent Pregnancy, Contraception, and Sexual Activity – ACOG, 2017). ➢Methods-
The methods used to achieve the goals of the project include providing increasing sexual
health education as well as providing contraceptives. A study by the World Health
Organization (2011) on interventions to reducing unplanned pregnancies among teenagers
revealed that a combination of interventions (contraceptive and education) reduced the
impact of unintended pregnancies. ➢Staffing/Administration- This project will involve 10
healthcare staff (two physicians, six social workers, and two nurses). The role of physicians
and nurses will include supporting social workers in providing education about positive
sexual health. While social workers will focus on counselling and providing education to
teenagers in schools, physicians and nurses will recommend treatment to students who are
already affected. ➢Evaluation- The success of the project will be measured by a quantitative
measure that will reveal a statistical analysis of the project. The expected results include a
drop in the number of pregnancies among teenagers. The evaluation process will consist of
conducting studies among targeted populations and publishing the evidence involved.
HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE ➢Sustainability- After the success of the first project, the
organization will solicit other funds from the state government and other foundations that
empower youth. Budget ➢Expenses will be divided into two sections: personal expenses
and direct project expenses. ➢Personal expenses are costs for staff who will work on the
project. Since the project will take eight months, expenses of staff will include: For 6 social
workers working on the project for eight months: $3,400*8*6= $163,200 For two nurses
working on the project for eight months: 4,100*2*8=$65,600 For the two doctors working
on the project for eight months: $6,667*8*2=$106,672 ➢Direct project expenses are non-
personal expenses that the team will incur, and they include travel costs, supplies,

5. insurance, equipment/rental costs, and meeting expenses. The projected direct project
costs are $300,000. ➢Therefore, the total budget of the project is $635,472 Organizational
Information ➢This will include structure, program, expertise, history, project fit for
mission, target audience, special needs of audience, activities, staff, and board. Conclusion ➢
A combination of interventions (education and contraceptives) will reduce unintended
teenage pregnancies. A standard Proposal Letter ➢Ask for funding request ➢Outline the
need 5 HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE ➢Explain the methods used to achieve objectives ➢
Budget data ➢Appendices 6 HEALTH GRANT OUTLINE 7 References Adolescent Pregnancy,
Contraception, and Sexual Activity – ACOG. (2017). Retrieved 14 December 2019, from
https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-andPublications/Committee-
Opinions/Committee-on-Adolescent-Health-Care/AdolescentPregnancy-Contraception-
and-Sexual-Activity?IsMobileSet=false Fox, J., & Barfield, W. (2016). Decreasing Unintended
Pregnancy. JAMA, 316(8), 815. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.8800 Interventions for preventing
unintended pregnancies among adolescents | RHL. (2011). Retrieved 14 December 2019,
from https://extranet.who.int/rhl/topics/adolescent-sexualand-reproductive-
health/pregnancy-prevention/interventions-preventing-unintendedpregnancies-among-
adolescents Oringanje, C., Meremikwu, M., Eko, H., Esu, E., Meremikwu, A., & Ehiri, J. (2016).
Interventions for preventing unintended pregnancies among adolescents. Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews. doi: 10.1002/14651858.cd005215.pub3 Science Daily.
(2017, December 11). Multiple health implications of women’s early marriage go beyond
early childbearing. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171211140834.htm Vázquez-Nava, F.,
Vázquez-Rodriguez, C., Saldívar-González, A., Vázquez-Rodríguez, E., Córdova-Fernández, J.,
Felizardo-Ávalos, J., & Sánchez-Márquez, W. (2013). Unplanned Pregnancy in Adolescents:
Association with Family Structure, Employed Mother, and Female Friends with Health-Risk
Habits and Behaviors. Journal of Urban Health, 91(1), 176-185. doi: 10.1007/s11524-013-
9819-6