Teenage Pregnancy

BY GROUP 4

Introduction • Teenage pregnancy is defined as a teenage or underage girl, usually within the ages of 13-17, becoming pregnant. • There are additional medical concerns for younger mothers, particularly those under 15 and those living in developing countries.

Global incidence • The highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world is in sub-Saharan Africa, where women tend to marry at an early age. • In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage sometimes means adolescent pregnancy, particularly in rural regions where the rate is much higher than it is in urbanized areas.

Statistics Country South Korea

Teenage birth rate per 1000 women 15-19 3

Netherlands

5

Tunisia

7

Australia

16

United Kingdom

20

Russia

30

United States

53

Indonesia

55

South Africa

66

Brazil

73

Bangladesh

117

Niger

233

Causes of teenage pregnancy • • • • • • •

Adolescent sexual behavior Contraception Age discrepancy in relationships Sexual abuse Dating violence Socioeconomic factors Childhood environment

Limiting teenage pregnancies • Many health educators have argued that comprehensive sex education would effectively reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, although opponents argue that such education encourages more and earlier sexual activity. • Joined up action, making sure branches of government and health and education services work together effectively. • prevention of teenage pregnancy through better sex education and improving contraceptive highrisk groups………

Medical outcomes • Young mothers who are given high-quality maternity care have significantly healthier babies than those that do not • Many pregnant teens are subject to nutritional deficiencies from poor eating habits • Complications of pregnancy result in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 teen girls in developing countries each year

Socioeconomic and psychological outcomes • Impact on the mother • Impact on the child • Impact on other family members

Teenage fatherhood • In countries such as India and Greece, the majority of teenage births occur within marriage. • In other countries, such as the United States and the Republic of Ireland, the majority of teenage mothers are not married to the fathers of their children. • In the UK, half of all teenagers with children are lone parents, 40% are cohabitating as a couple and 10% are married.

In the arts, films and literature • Teenage pregnancy has been used as a theme or plot device in fiction, including books, films, and television series • Other fiction, particularly in a long-running television series, looks at the long-term effects of becoming a parent at a very young age

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