A global perspective on adolescent pregnancy

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy is an international dilemma affecting not just the adolescent and her infant, but entire societies. Of almost 300 million female adolescents worldwide, 16 million give birth yearly, accounting for 11% of all births worldwide. The Millennium Development Goal # 5 incorporates reducing adolescent births worldwide. The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive critique of findings on a global perspective on adolescent pregnancy and evaluation of strategies to reduce this international concern. In Latin America and the Caribbean, unmet need for family planning made little change in 20 years. In Dutch and Scandinavian countries, there are national sex education programmes and family planning clinics run by nurse midwives with direct authority to prescribe contraceptives. In Japan, strong conservative norms exist about premarital sex. In the UK, a lack of consistent targeted sex education, delay in access to contraception and contraceptive use failure are associated with high teen pregnancy rates. In the United States, 750,000 teen pregnancies occur yearly, costing $9 billion per year. Health disparities exist: Whites had 11, Blacks had 32 and Hispanics had 41 per 1000 births. Programmes to reduce teen pregnancy should incorporate family, contraception and abstinence education, and sustained commitment of media, businesses, religious and civic organizations.

Targeting factors for change: contraceptive counselling and care of female adolescents

“…[24] Rapid repeat pregnancies are common; between 30 and 50% of adolescent mothers who give birth <18 years of age will have a second child within 12-24 months. [6] Lack of childcare or associated cost results in teenage mothers being unable to attend school leading to limited opportunities for work. [7] The financial implications are extensive; for example, in the US alone, the annual cost of income maintenance, health care and nutrition, public assistance and crime prevention in adolescent offspring as a result of teenage pregnancy exceed $20 billion.…”

“…[1] Unintended pregnancy in adolescents has major health and social implications and places a substantial economic burden on health care systems irrespective of whether it ends in an abortion, pregnancy loss, or a live birth. [6] Worldwide, complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth represent the second highest cause of death among 15-to 19-year-old females. [7] Pregnancy in this age group is also a major contributor to child mortality, ill health and poverty.…”

Breastfeeding attitudes among adolescent mothers attending a nutrition breastfeeding support group

“…[10] Repeat pregnancies are common among adolescents under 18 years of age, with 30% to 50% birthing a second child within 12 to 24 months from the first. [11] Additionally, younger mothers under age 20 are less likely to breastfeed (43%) compared to mothers over 20 (65%). [5,12] Along with dissimilarities in breastfeeding rates based on maternal age, breastfeeding rates differ by socioeconomic characteristics as well.…”

A Review of the Social Determinants of Health - Income Inequality and Education Inequality: Why Place Matters in U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Rates

“…Worldwide, adolescents account for 16 out of 300 million births [1]. One million births occur in girls under the age of 15 [2].…”