Teenage pregnancy, risks, and what can be done.

By definition, a teenager is someone that is between the age range of 13 to 19 and according to (WHO 2022), many teenagers within this age range are sexually active leading to a high prevalence of teenage pregnancy. The total number of births by teenage mothers in 2008 was 16 million globally and in 2021, 13 million children were reported to be born to teenage mothers (Dhami et al. 2021).

Indeed, teenage pregnancy is unwanted or unplanned. Although unplanned pregnancy affects all women across all age groups, a high rate is reported in teenage girls giving rise to high numbers of teenage mothers. High rates of teenage pregnancy are indicators of high numbers of sexually active teenage girls. For instance, Ajala (2014) reported that 47% of teenage girls were sexually active in 2013 and the mean age of first sexual contact was 15 years. Although some should have been sexually active between the ages of 10 to 14 years because WHO (2022) reported that there could be 10 births per 1000 girls within this age range.

Sexual activities are more frequent in married teenage girls than those that are not married. At the start of their reproductive age, many teenage girls in rural communities are reportedly married. In some rural parts of Africa, early marriage is considered to be a social norm as the girl child is given to marriage even before she reaches a marriageable age. The reason for this is due to the general perception of virginity preservation until marriage, promiscuity reduction, and sexual intercourse within a  marriage context (Kyari and Ayodele 2014). Other factors such as poverty, social and financial instability, indebtedness, girl child supposed protection, and religion contribute to the high number of early marriages which invariably lead to high rates of teenage pregnancy in rural communities (UNICEF. 2005).

Teenage girls in rural communities are unable to get formal education because of the financial burden it may incur on the family and because they are not allowed to make an informed decision about education since they are given off to marry early. A low level of education is associated with a lack of sex education as well as the lack of motivation to use contraceptives because only girls with high levels of education are generally likely to use contraceptives, and since teenage girls in rural communities are less likely to be educated, almost 100% of them do not use contraceptives (Ajala 2014).

Risks

Teenage pregnancy occurs without proper planning on the mental, psychological, and socio-economical levels of teenage girls (Brown and Eisenberg 1995). Indeed, many of them do not make informed decisions before getting pregnant. The outcome of teenage pregnancy is enormous, ranging from the burden it imposes on the mother, to the burden it imposes on the child and entire community (Landry et al. 1986). A pregnant teenager is highly unlikely to take proper care of herself and the baby by going for prenatal care and as such teenage pregnancy is considered the leading course of maternal death in sub-Saharan Africa (Sawyer et al. 2012, Nove et al. 2014). In Nigeria, 30.5% of teenage girls (15-19) died during childbirth in 2013 (National Population Commission 2013). Currently, teenage girls constitute 40% of the total maternal mortality rates in Nigeria (Punch 2020).

Babies born via teenage pregnancy have been studied to be more exposed to harmful environments and generally lack parental care. Some of them also die in the first year of their life. Teenage pregnancy exposes teenage mothers to domestic abuse and violence by their partners, mental illness, and depression. Teenage mothers are at greater risk of violence and poverty (Ferri et al. 2007). In all, teenage pregnancy exerts pressure on young mothers, reduces their self-esteem and self-worth, hinders them from pursuing their education, dreams, and life ambitions, and hinders them from living their full life potential.

What can be done?

To reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in rural communities, it is paramount to disseminate vital information about the importance of general education and the termination of early marriage. It involves the active participation of everyone in the community (most importantly teenage girls). All stakeholders and local governments of each community must be informed of how detrimental this health issue is to the sustainability and growth of the community. It involves taking the following approaches:

• Parents in rural communities should be sensitized about the impact of early marriage on the growth and development of their teenage female children.
• Education should be advocated for by ensuring that every child (girls and boys) has access to education.
• Comical leaflets or posters will be shared to inform the population about this health issue and its effect.
• Contraceptives and sexual protection materials such as condoms should be made available in all health outlets in rural communities.
• Information should be shared with girls to make them aware of their fundamental human rights. This will increase their self-confidence to exercise their rights to education, freedom, good health, and consent to marriage.
• Teenage girls (single and married) should be educated and encouraged to practice safe sex and use contraceptives to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.
• Incentives such as school shoes, backpacks, and writing materials should be provided to foster educational participation.
• Finally, local, and national authorities, local governments, and local health practitioners should be involved to promote the safety of every girl child, disseminate sex information via mass media, enhance privacy management, and carry out health screenings to detect any health issues at an early stage.

Conclusively, teenage pregnancy is a problem in rural communities most especially in rural communities in Africa and it is highly associated with severe risks. This health issue needs to be addressed by creating awareness about its spread and its impacts on the growth, health, educational attainability, and general well-being of young women. These may help in promoting good health among young girls even as they transition into adulthood.

I hope you enjoy the article. What are your opinions about teenage pregnancy and how prevalent is it in your community?

References

1. Ajala, A.O., 2014. Factors associated with teenage pregnancy and fertility in Nigeria. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 5(2).
2. Brown, S.S. and Eisenberg, L., 1995. Unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families. JAMA, 274(17), pp.1332-1332.
3. Nigeria Population Commission, 2019. Nigeria Demographic and health survey 2018. NPC, ICF.
4. Dhami, M.V., Ogbo, F.A., Diallo, T.M., Olusanya, B.O., Goson, P.C., Agho, K.E. and Global Maternal and Child Health Research Collaboration (GloMACH), 2021. Infant and young child feeding practices among teenage mothers and associated factors in India. Nutrients, 13(7), p.2376.
5. Ferri, C.P., Mitsuhiro, S.S., Barros, M., Chalem, E., Guinsburg, R., Patel, V., Prince, M. and Laranjeira, R., 2007. The impact of maternal experience of violence and common mental disorders on neonatal outcomes: a survey of teenage mothers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. BMC Public Health, 7(1), pp.1-9.
6. Kyari, G.V. and Ayodele, J., 2014. The socio-economic effect of early marriage in Northwestern Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(14), pp.582-582.
7. Landry, E., Bertrand, J.T., Cherry, F. and Rice, J., 1986. Teen pregnancy in New Orleans: Factors that differentiate teens who deliver, abort, and successfully contracept. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 15(3), pp.259-274.
8. World Health Organization, 2012. Early marriages, teenage, and young pregnancies. Geneva: WHO, pp.14.
9. World Health Organization, 2022,
10. Sawyer, S.M., Afifi, R.A., Bearinger, L.H., Blakemore, S.J., Dick, B., Ezeh, A.C. and Patton, G.C., 2012. Adolescence: a foundation for future health. The Lancet, 379(9826), pp.1630-1640.
11. UNICEF., 2005. Early marriage is a harmful traditional practice a statistical exploration 2005.