Teenage pregnancy: a reconsideration.

Teenage pregnancies may be diminishing, but the same cannot be said about the risks for abnormal pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in this group. This study sought to examine rates (by mother's age at time of birth) for a number of variables indicative of pregnancy and birth problems. Specifically, the charts of 1,681 babies, born at a regional mid-northern Ontario Labour and Delivery Unit between 1987 and 1988, were examined. Results suggest that this group of teenaged mothers continue to demonstrate a higher rate of substance, tobacco and dietary abuse during pregnancy than older aged mothers. Further, more babies born to these particular teenaged mothers received low APGAR scores, 5 minutes after birth, than babies born to other aged mothers. The same group (teenaged mothers) gave birth to pre-term babies more often, and had a higher rate of congenital abnormality than did other aged mothers.     

少女妊娠与避孕

<正>1少女妊娠的概况及影响少女妊娠是指妊娠发生在女性10～19岁年龄段。目前全世界每年约有1 500万15～19岁少女生育,占全球生育总数的1/5,其中大部分是非意愿妊娠。中国的少女妊娠率为3%,并以每年6. 9%的速度递增[1]。少女妊娠发生的主要原因为:(1)性观念开放与性成熟提前,促使青春期初次性行为低龄化;(2)青少年性知识缺     

Teenage pregnancy and sex education

The head of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Unit at the Department of Health discusses the incidence and causes of the UK's high teenage pregnancy rates and the risk factors. She outlines current Government strategy and progress towards reducing the rate of teenage conceptions. These include initiatives to improve sex and relationship education in schools.     

Teenage motherhood and fatherhood: observations in three cities of Brazil

This study describes young people from 18 to 24 years of age who experienced motherhood and fatherhood. The data are from a multi-center study (the GRAVAD Research Project) conducted in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador through a household survey with a three-stage stratified probabilistic sample. Among a total of 4,634 interviewees, 17.9% of women and 6.3% of men became parents before the age of 20. Young fathers and mothers show low schooling and early participation in the work market. Most report a per capita monthly family income of some 150 US dollars. The existence of children motivates the marital union at a young age, during which the roles of male provider and female caregiver are reaffirmed. Even for young parents who have formed a new family nucleus themselves, their own original families provide a basis of material and affective support.     

Teenage pregnancy in Scotland: trends and risks.

Teenage pregnancy, considered to be associated with social and medical risks, is seen as a growing problem. Population based information from the Registrar General (Scotland) and Notification of Abortion permitted an analysis of the trends in the numbers, rates and outcomes of pregnancies among women aged less than 20 years. In addition, clinical information is available on all deliveries in Scottish hospitals from the standard hospital discharge document permitting analysis of the association of defined complications with age. Contrary to current perceptions, pregnancies and births among teenagers are not more frequent in 1988 when compared to 1975. There has been, however, a large increase in births to single women, a group with particular problems. The obstetric risks when compared to older women, are small and probably socially, not age related. These include a slightly higher rate of pre-term delivery and low birthweight and a later presentation for specialist antenatal care. The proportion of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects which are terminated is lower among women under 20. These medical risks are small, however, compared to the well-documented social and economic problems which will have long term and indirect effects on health.     

Teenage pregnancy: doubts, uncertainties and psychiatric disturbance.

Fifty-two pregnant teenagers were assessed at 'booking' using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28), a locus of control scale, and five visual analogue 'attitude scales'. Thirty-eight were in the antenatal and 14 in the termination clinic. One quarter had probable psychiatric disorder on the GHQ. The GHQ scores correlated outcome of pregnancy (whether about the planned outcome of pregnancy (whether termination or full term). Locus of control correlated with the Depression scale of the GHQ but not with attitude to pregnancy or choice of termination or delivery. Clinic staff should be alert to the psychiatric risks when seeing teenagers who have marked doubts about their plans when pregnant.     

Teenage pregnancy -unravelling the issues

This study provides the reader with an account of the current knowledge, understanding and practice in relation to young teenage mothers, with specific reference to the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust area. To complete the study the author received invaluable information and support from both a group of teenage mothers who were interviewed and a multi-disciplinary focus group set up for the study, as well as a range of other agencies.     

Teenage pregnancy and moral panic in Brazil

This paper examines teenage pregnancy as a social‐historical construction of increasing concern in Brazil. It presents findings from over five years of empirical research alongside an analysis of a sample of newspaper articles representative of the dominant positions in the Brazilian press concerning teenage pregnancy. In contrast to mainstream arguments and to broader moral panic surrounding teenage pregnancy, we argue that contemporary patterns of sexual behaviour among young people in Brazil do not signal growing permissiveness and are not straightforwardly related to poverty, family dysfunction or lack of life projects on the part of young people themselves. On the contrary, early pregnancy and parenthood retain strong continuities with core Brazilian values and norms of sexual culture.     

Teenage pregnancy and moral panic in Brazil

This paper examines teenage pregnancy as a social-historical construction of increasing concern in Brazil. It presents findings from over five years of empirical research alongside an analysis of a sample of newspaper articles representative of the dominant positions in the Brazilian press concerning teenage pregnancy. In contrast to mainstream arguments and to broader moral panic surrounding teenage pregnancy, we argue that contemporary patterns of sexual behaviour among young people in Brazil do not signal growing permissiveness and are not straightforwardly related to poverty, family dysfunction or lack of life projects on the part of young people themselves. On the contrary, early pregnancy and parenthood retain strong continuities with core Brazilian values and norms of sexual culture.     

Teenage pregnancy, a worldwide problem

The incidence of adolescent pregnancy is highest in Sub Saharan Africa (143 per 1,000 girls aged between 15-19 years). In Europe, it is well over 20 per 1,000. In the Netherlands, the percentage of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion is high (abortion ratio 61%), but the number of abortions among teenagers is low (abortion rate 8.6 per 1,000). Differences in the number of teenage pregnancies between industrialized countries are mainly caused by the availability of effective contraception for adolescents and not by differences in sexual behaviour. The main obstetric complication is preterm birth, especially if the interval between menarche and conception is short. Labour in teenagers is generally easier. Long-term socio-economic consequences for mother and child are great, in both developing and developed countries. There is an urgent need for programmes aimed at improving contraception in adolescents, especially in developing countries.     

Teenage pregnancy in the United States

One out of every 10 women aged 15-19 becomes pregnant each year in the United States. Of these pregnancies, five out of every six are unintended--92 percent of those conceived premaritally, and half of those conceived in marriage. The teenage pregnancy rate is high because only a minority (one in three) of sexually active young women always use contraceptives, and only one in two of these women rely on the most effective methods. The two most common reasons given by adolescents for not using contraceptives are believing that the risk of pregnancy is small, and failing to anticipate intercourse. Experience in other developed countries clearly shows that the incidence of adolescent pregnancy can be reduced if effective contraceptives are made widely available. Although high quality sex education programs that include information about contraception, reproductive biology and responsible sexual behavior can enhance the effectiveness of contraceptive delivery systems, they are not a substitute for the actual provision of services and supplies. However, there is formidable political opposition to the provision of such services by a vocal minority who believe that the crux of the problem is premarital sexual activity, and that lowering the cost of such behavior by reducing the risk of pregnancy will both legitimize adolescent sex and increase its prevalence. Consequently, there is a political impasse that guarantees a continuing large number of adolescent pregnancies. Further, even if contraceptives and sex education were readily available to all adolescents, there would still be a pool of teenagers who would see little benefit in postponing parenthood. This pool would be composed overwhelmingly of the poor and of blacks and Hispanics. Increasing the demand for pregnancy prevention among young women and men in this hard-core, high-risk group will be extremely hard to achieve without a fundamental restructuring of society.     

Teenage pregnancy experiences in rural Kenya

This community-based survey describes the socio-economic determinants of teenage pregnancy, experiences of health problems during pregnancy, and health care utilization patterns among adolescents (12-19 years old) in rural Kenya. Characteristics of adolescents with repeated pregnancy experiences were compared with first-time pregnancies. The survey covered 3,132 households from 32 randomly selected communities and 1,247 adolescents were interviewed. Data were collected retrospectively through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results showed that 572 (45.9%) adolescents had had sexual intercourse in the past, and of these, 245 (42.8%) had been pregnant at least once. A significant majority of adolescents who had been pregnant were not attending school during the survey period. Fifty-six percent of the first pregnancies occurred while the girl was single. Compared with repeat pregnancies, first pregnancies were more likely to be reported as unwanted (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.1, 5.3). Antenatal care attendance, place of delivery and pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different for first-time and repeat pregnancies. Adolescents' reports on health problems during pregnancy, labour and in the post-partum period were not associated with parity or with age (< 16 years old). A lower proportion of younger primigravidae sought medical attention for health problems that arose during pregnancy (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.8) and labor (OR = 3.6; 95% CI = 1.5, 8.7). In conclusion, the study highlighted major unmet reproductive health needs of adolescents in this region. Age and gravida influenced health care seeking which could increase the chances of serious life threatening complications among young primigravidae.     

Teenage motherhood: where you live is also important. A prospective cohort study of 14,000 women

The United Kingdom has among the highest rates of teenage motherhood (TM) in Western Europe. The relationship to individual social and material disadvantage is well established but the influence of area of residence is unclear. We tested for additional TM risks in deprived areas or in cities. The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study was used to identify 14,055 nulliparous females (15–18). TM risk was measured using multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for health status, religion, family structure, socio-economic status, rurality and employment-based area deprivation. Most variation in TM was driven by individual, household and socioeconomic factors with the greatest proportion of mothers in low value or social rented accommodation. Living in an area with fewer employment opportunities was associated with elevated TM risk (most vs. least deprived, OR_adj =1.98 [1.49, 2.63]), as was urban dwelling (urban vs. intermediate, OR_adj =1.42 [1.13, 1.78]). We conclude that area of residence is a significant independent risk factor for TM. Interventions should be targeted towards the most deprived and urban areas and to those in the lowest value housing.     

Teenage pregnancy prevention: an Atlanta program

this article describes the Fulton County (Georgia) Health Department Teen Clinical Services Program, which has 3 goals: 1) to reduce unplanned teenage pregnancies in 3 high risk health service areas in Atlanta by providing sex education and access to contraception, 2) to improve the health and well-being of teeangers by offering periodic disease screening, and 3) to educate adolescents on their total health needs. Clinics are held in inner city community health centers and all services are confidential. An introductory health questionnaire is used to assess the areas of counseling to be emphasized in the initial interview. 65% of teenagers initially attending the clinic are sexually active, but only 60-65% have ever used birth control. The reasons for sexual behavior are explored during the initial interview and contraception and sexually transmitted diseases are reviewed. Teenagers who are not sexually active are encouraged to postpone sexual activity. Community outreach and education is another component of the program. Rap sessions are held during each clinic session and peer counselors work as liaisons between the schools, community, and Teen Services Program. Peer counseling is believed to facilitate feelings of acceptance and support. In 1 of the high risk areas served by the program, the adolescent birth rate fell 17% in 1979-82. 94% of clients who accepted contraception returned and maintained contraception for 1 year. Approximately 20% of participants in the program are male. This experience suggests that this type of program is effective and should be expanded to other areas of the US.     

Teenage pregnancy in an urban hospital setting

Recent research suggests that adverse consequences of teenage pregnancy are largely a function of social background factors and adequacy of prenatal care. This study examines the situation of young mothers with new babies in a low income, urban environment. The study explores the relationship between age and ethnicity and various life circumstance and life style differences which might effect long term developmental outcome. 475 Hispanic and black mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The majority are poorly educated, single parents. Educational attainment is higher for blacks than for Hispanics and for older mothers than for younger. Older mothers are more likely to be living with the father, to be married, and to have received adequate prenatal care. Hispanic parents are more likely than Blacks to be planning to live together. Hispanic mothers are more likely than blacks to be planning to be the primary caretaker for their babies. Adequacy of prenatal care is related to both prematurity and low birth weight. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to pregnancy prevention and parenting education programs.J. Kent Davis, Ph.D. is Chief of Psychological Services and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Raymond Fink, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Community Medicine at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Benamana Rajegowda, M.D. is Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College and Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, New York. Arun Yesupria, M.D. is Chairman of STAT Clinical Laboratories in India. Rasila Lala, M.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College and an attending Neonatologist at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, New York.