Unintended Teenage Pregnancy Research Articles

The reasons for and influences of unintended teenage pregnancy in Kericho county, Kenya: a qualitative study.

Unintended teenage pregnancies are associated with greater health and socio-economic risks for teenage mothers and newborns. In Kenya, the government has declared a target for ending teenage pregnancy by 2030. However, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy has only decreased slightly, demonstrating the need for further efforts. Understanding teenage mothers' own experiences and perspectives is necessary to design appropriate interventions. A community-based qualitative study was conducted from March to May 2023. Two focus group discussions were conducted with community health volunteers and the mothers of teenage girls. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the case histories of 19 teenage mothers and 18 key informants. Thematic analysis was subsequently performed using MAXQDA 2022. Four major reasons emerged for unintended teenage pregnancies: (1) lack of knowledge or awareness about the human reproductive system, (2) lack of knowledge about family planning (FP), (3) financial challenges, and (4) low access to FP. At the study site, cultural norms and stereotypes, such as "infertility caused by FP," "freedom of sex by promoting FP," and "cultural taboos on having sex before marriage and talking about sexuality," were observed as barriers in promoting FP to teenagers. In addition, teenagers from low socio-economic backgrounds were found to be more vulnerable because they can be easily exploited by men who can afford to provide for some of their basic needs. Regarding the influences of unintended teenage pregnancy on teenage mothers' lives, the 19 cases were classified into four categories: (1) dropping out of school, (2) financial challenges, (3) changing relationships with parents, and (4) no major influence. Crucially, unintended teenage pregnancies negatively influenced most study participants. Continuing education, supportive parental attitudes, positive perceptions of the relationship with the child's father, and having future perspectives were identified as factors mitigating the negative influences. Strengthening culturally appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and the school re-entry policy with a supportive environment may prevent unintended teenage pregnancy and mitigate its negative influences. As financial challenges can be both a reason for and a negative influence of unintended teenage pregnancy, economic empowerment interventions are necessary.

Factors associated with unintended pregnancy and contraceptive practices in justice-involved adolescent girls in Australia.

Despite a decline in unintended teenage pregnancy in Australia, rates remain higher amongst justice-involved adolescent girls, who are more likely to be from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, have histories of abuse, substance use and/or mental health issues. Furthermore, exposure to the criminal justice system may alter access to education and employment and opportunities, potentially resulting in distinct risk-factor profiles. We examine factors associated with unintended pregnancy, non-contraceptive use and Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in a sample of sexually active, justice-involved adolescent girls from Western Australia and Queensland. Data from the Mental Health, Sexual Health and Reproductive Health of Young People in Contact with the Criminal Justice System (MeH-JOSH) Study was analysed on 118 sexually active adolescent girls. Participants were aged between 14 and 17 years, purposefully sampled based on justice-system involvement and completed an anonymous telephone survey. We constructed two multivariate models taking reproductive outcomes as the dependent variables. Over one quarter (26%, 30/118) reported a past unintended pregnancy, 54 did not use any contraception at their last sexual encounter, and 17 reported LARC use. Following adjustments in the multivariate analysis, lifetime ecstasy use was associated with both unintended pregnancy (aOR 3.795, p = 0.022) and non-contraception use (aOR 4.562, p = 0.004). A history of physical abuse was also associated with both any contraception (aOR 3.024, p = 0.041) and LARC use (aOR 4.892, p = 0.050). Identifying as Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, education/employment status and geographic location appeared to have no association. Our findings suggest that justice-involved adolescent girls have distinct risk factors associated with unplanned pregnancy and contraception use compared to the general population, but more research is required to understand the mechanisms and contexts underlying these risk factors. How exposure to physical violence may encourage contraception and LARC use, in particular, warrants further attention as does the association with ecstasy use.

Utilizing social determinants of health to identify most vulnerable neighborhoods–Latent class analysis and GIS map

ObjectivesPublic Health officials are often challenged to effectively allocate limited resources. Social determinants of health (SDOH) may cluster in areas to cause unique profiles related to various adverse life events. The authors use the framework of unintended teen pregnancies to illustrate how to identify the most vulnerable neighborhoods. MethodsThis study used data from the U.S. American Community Survey, Princeton Eviction Lab, and Connecticut Office of Vital Records. Census tracts are small statistical subdivisions of a county. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to separate the 832 Connecticut census tracts into four distinct latent classes based on SDOH, and GIS mapping was utilized to visualize the distribution of the most vulnerable neighborhoods. GEE Poisson regression model was used to assess whether latent classes were related to the outcome. Data were analyzed in May 2021. ResultsLCA's results showed that class 1 (non-minority non-disadvantaged tracts) had the least diversity and lowest poverty of the four classes. Compared to class 1, class 2 (minority non-disadvantaged tracts) had more households with no health insurance and with single parents; and class 3 (non-minority disadvantaged tracts) had more households with no vehicle available, that had moved from another place in the past year, were low income, and living in renter-occupied housing. Class 4 (minority disadvantaged tracts) had the lowest socioeconomic characteristics. ConclusionsLCA can identify unique profiles for neighborhoods vulnerable to adverse events, setting up the potential for differential intervention strategies for communities with varying risk profiles. Our approach may be generalizable to other areas or other programs. Key messagesWhat is already known on this topicPublic health practitioners struggle to develop interventions that are universally effective. The teen birth rates vary tremendously by race and ethnicity. Unplanned teen pregnancy rates are related to multiple social determinants and behaviors. Latent class analysis has been applied successfully to address public health problems.What this study addsWhile it is the pregnancy that is not planned rather than the birth, access to pregnancy intention data is not available resulting in a dependency on teen birth data for developing public health strategies. Using teen birth rates to identify at-risk neighborhoods will not directly represent the teens at risk for pregnancy but rather those who delivered a live birth. Since teen birth rates often fluctuate due to small numbers, especially for small neighborhoods, LCA may avoid some of the limitations associated with direct rate comparisons. The authors illustrate how practitioners can use publicly available SDOH from the Census Bureau to identify distinct SDOH profiles for teen births at the census tract level.How this study might affect research, practice or policyThese profiles of classes that are at heightened risk potentially can be used to tailor intervention plans for reducing unintended teen pregnancy. The approach may be adapted to other programs and other states to prioritize the allocation of limited resources.

112. Transcreating an Unintended Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Latino Teens Living in Rural Communities

112. Transcreating an Unintended Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Latino Teens Living in Rural Communities

Trends and determinants of unmet need for modern contraception among adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania, 2004-2016.

Unintended pregnancy at a young age can lead to poor reproductive health, social and economic outcomes. The high rate of unintended teenage pregnancies in Tanzania is indicative of inadequate availability and uptake of modern contraception. Determining trends and determinants of unmet need for modern contraception among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania will help address the burden of unintended pregnancies. An analytical cross-sectional study design was conducted using secondary data from three consecutive Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) 2004/05, 2010 and 2015/6 among AGYW in need of modern contraception. Data analysis considered the complex survey design. Poisson regression model was used to determine factors associated with unmet need for modern contraception. We observed a steady decline in unmet need for modern contraception among sexually active AGYW in need of modern contraception from 31.8% in 2004/05 to 27.5% in 2015/16 survey. In the multivariable analysis, higher prevalence of unmet need for modern contraception was observed among adolescents, participants with at least one live birth, from poor wealth tertile, and those sexually active during the past four weeks compared to their counterparts. Despite declining levels, the unmet need for modern contraception among AGYW in Tanzania remains high. AGYW under 19 years, those from poor households, and those who are postpartum are most at risk. Greater efforts in empowering and educating AGYW at risk on their reproductive health rights and needs will further the uptake of modern contraceptive use, reduce the rates of unintended pregnancies, lower the adolescent fertility rate as a result lower unmet need for modern contraception.

Intimate Partner Violence and Late-Onset of Substance Use Disorder: A Case- -Report of Getting Free and Staying Stuck

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrated by men is a highly prevalent public health problem. IPV has long been asso- ciated to substance use disorder (SUD) in young women, namely alcohol-related problems. However, evidence on this link regarding late-adulthood onset is scarce. In this paper, we report the case of a 52-year-old female patient voluntarily seeking medical help for first‐time heroin use. She had previously been married into a thirty‐year‐long abusive relation- ship, following unintended teenage pregnancy. At 49 years-old, as the patient signs for divorce and puts an end to the abusive relationship, high-risk behaviors and SUD follow. Although a bidirectional association between IVP and SUD is described in young women, further investigation is needed to elucidate on how IPV-related trauma may impact on older women. It is paramount to promote specialized mental health care among this vulnerable population.

Feasibility and acceptability of a whole-school social-marketing intervention to prevent unintended teenage pregnancies and promote sexual health: evidence for progression from a pilot to a phase III randomised trial in English secondary schools

BackgroundReducing unintended teenage pregnancy and promoting adolescent sexual health remains a priority in England. Both whole-school and social-marketing interventions are promising approaches to addressing these aims. However, such interventions have not been rigorously trialled in the UK and it is unclear if they are appropriate for delivery in English secondary schools. We developed and pilot trialled Positive Choices, a new whole-school social marketing intervention to address unintended teenage pregnancy and promote sexual health. Our aim was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and trial methods in English secondary schools against pre-defined progression criteria (relating to randomisation, survey follow-up, intervention fidelity and acceptability and linkage to birth/abortion records) prior to carrying out a phase III trial of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.MethodsPilot RCT with integral process evaluation involving four intervention and two control schools in south-east England. The intervention comprised a student needs survey; a student/staff-led school health promotion council; a classroom curriculum for year-9 students (aged 13–14); whole-school student-led social-marketing activities; parent information; and a review of local and school-based sexual health services. Baseline surveys were conducted with year 8 (aged 12–13) in June 2018. Follow-up surveys were completed 12 months later. Process evaluation data included audio recording of staff training, surveys of trained staff, staff log books and researcher observations of intervention activities. Survey data from female students were linked to records of births and abortions to assess the feasibility of these constituting a phase III primary outcome.ResultsAll six schools were successfully randomised and retained in the trial. Response rates to the survey were above 80% in both arms at both baseline and follow-up. With the exception of the parent materials, the fidelity target for implementation of essential elements in three out of four schools was achieved. Student surveys indicated 80% acceptability among those who reported awareness of the programme and interviews with staff suggested strong acceptability. Linkage to birth/abortion records was feasible although none occurred among participants.ConclusionsThe criteria for progression to a phase III trial were met. Our data suggest that a whole-school social-marketing approach may be appropriate for topics that are clearly prioritised by schools. A phase III trial of this intervention is now warranted to establish effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Births and terminations are not an appropriate primary outcome measure for such a trial.Trial registrationISRCTN65324176.

"It Was a Mistake, but We Knew That Something Might Happen": Narratives of Teenage Girls' Experiences With Unintended Teenage Pregnancy.

It has been over a quarter of a century since the sexual reproductive health of young people came under the spotlight. The upsurge in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections spurred on an era of intense development of services and strategies to ensure people's reproductive health rights were attainable, including the right to choose when to fall pregnant and have a baby. The statistics on teenage pregnancy are more than just numbers, but a represent stark reality for some girls in South African schools. Given that pregnancy in the teenage years is largely unintentional, prevention strategies need to extend beyond addressing risky sexual behavior; gaining deeper insights into teenagers' experiences and the events leading up to pregnancy would serve to better inform pregnancy prevention programs. This study explored the experiences of teenage mothers and pregnant teenagers, with the objective of acquiring a broader understanding of alternative approaches to preventing unintended pregnancy. A qualitative study was conducted in Ekurhuleni's township in the east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Fifteen narrative interviews with girls aged 13–19 years were conducted between July 2015 and July 2016, and were analyzed chronologically through narrative analysis. The findings revealed that participants who had engaged in socio-sexual and romantic relationships had no intention of falling pregnant and were familiar with existing strategies to prevent pregnancy. Social-sexual relationships were presented as an important aspect of their lives and demonstrated their ability to create spaces and opportunities to spend time with their social sexual partners and engage in sexual activity. Focusing on how teenage girls evaluate their sexual activity against the consequences of their actions is critical. However, sexual and reproductive health programs should refrain from representing young people's sexual behavior as a pathological condition, framing it instead as an integral component of creative sexual development. Programs should include relevant practical advice in relation to sexual engagement and be considered an extension of the State's existing Road to Health program.

Placement of long-acting reversible contraception for minors who are mothers should not require parental consent

Decreasing unintended teenage pregnancy, especially repeat teenage pregnancy, is an important public health goal. Unfortunately, legal barriers in the USA impede this goal as all minors are unable to consent...

89590 A multi-theoretical analysis of the design, implementation and outcomes of The Greater Rochester LARC Initiative to prevent unintended teen pregnancy

ABSTRACT IMPACT: This study provides insights on how to replicate a successful initiative for preventing unintended teen pregnancy. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Reducing unintended teen pregnancy is a national health priority, and a recommended strategy is to increase awareness and availability of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). The Rochester LARC Initiative did this, and teen LARC use rose from 4% to 24%. The goal of this study is to determine key elements for replicating the intervention. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Our initiative used an innovative approach we call ‘community detailing’ to deliver education about LARC to adults working with teens. We analyzed the intervention goals, design components, implementation strategies, and public health outcomes. Our analysis was informed by the CDC model for Promoting Science-Based Approaches to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Using Getting to Outcomes (PSBA-GTO), Diffusion of Innovations, and RE-AIM framework for implementation outcomes. We compared our model with characteristics of LARC-promotion efforts, as well as successful health education campaigns. We tabulated the components of our intervention across theoretical domains, aiming to determine essential elements of effective design, adaptation, and dissemination & implementation. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The initiative incorporated multiple components common to successful health education programs: measurable behavior-change outcomes; formative research before roll-out; tailored communications for different audiences; speakers who were credible, knowledgeable and skilled communicators; content that was new to recipients and essential for decreasing barriers to desired behaviors. It included elements of successful LARC promotion/teen pregnancy prevention programs, such as organizing information by effectiveness of methods and using youth-empowering messaging. It differed from other successful programs by offering discussions to adults who work with teens in both medical and community settings. This analysis also highlights unintended positive ripple effects. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: These results establish how community detailing is effective for disseminating actionable information about the safety, efficacy and availability of LARC. These insights could inform other prevention initiatives. An anticipated practical product of this study will be a user-friendly manual for replicating the LARC Initiative in other locations.

Co-production of two whole-school sexual health interventions for English secondary schools: positive choices and project respect

BackgroundWhole-school interventions represent promising approaches to promoting adolescent sexual health, but they have not been rigorously trialled in the UK and it is unclear if such interventions are feasible for delivery in English secondary schools. The importance of involving intended beneficiaries, implementers and other key stakeholders in the co-production of such complex interventions prior to costly implementation and evaluation studies is widely recognised. However, practical accounts of such processes remain scarce. We report on co-production with specialist providers, students, school staff, and other practice and policy professionals of two new whole-school sexual heath interventions for implementation in English secondary schools.MethodsFormative qualitative inquiry involving 75 students aged 13–15 and 23 school staff. A group of young people trained to advise on public health research were consulted on three occasions. Twenty-three practitioners and policy-makers shared their views at a stakeholder event. Detailed written summaries of workshops and events were prepared and key themes identified to inform the design of each intervention.ResultsData confirmed acceptability of addressing unintended teenage pregnancy, sexual health and dating and relationships violence via multi-component whole-school interventions and of curriculum delivery by teachers (providing appropriate teacher selection). The need to enable flexibility for the timetabling of lessons and mode of parent communication; ensure content reflected the reality of young people’s lives; and develop prescriptive teaching materials and robust school engagement strategies to reflect shrinking capacity for schools to implement public-health interventions were also highlighted and informed intervention refinements. Our research further points to some of the challenges and tensions involved in co-production where stakeholder capacity may be limited or their input may conflict with the logic of interventions or what is practicable within the constraints of a trial.ConclusionsMulti-component, whole-school approaches to addressing sexual health that involve teacher delivered curriculum may be feasible for implementation in English secondary schools. They must be adaptable to individual school settings; involve careful teacher selection; limit additional burden on staff; and accurately reflect the realities of young people’s lives. Co-production can reduce research waste and may be particularly useful for developing complex interventions, like whole-school sexual health interventions, that must be adaptable to varying institutional contexts and address needs that change rapidly. When co-producing, potential limitations in relation to the representativeness of participants, the ‘depth’ of engagement necessary as well as the burden on participants and how they will be recompensed must be carefully considered. Having well-defined, transparent procedures for incorporating stakeholder input from the outset are also essential. Formal feasibility testing of both co-produced interventions in English secondary schools via cluster RCT is warranted.Trial registrationProject Respect: ISRCTN12524938. Positive Choices: ISRCTN65324176

Untangling the roots of the West Virginia opioid crisis: relationships in adolescent pregnancy, drug misuse, and future outcomes

West Virginia (WV) is afflicted by high rates of teenage pregnancy and births, opioid usage during pregnancy, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome births. Current efforts are ineffective at reducing teenage pregnancy and opioid misuse. While pregnancy and opioid usage may appear to be separate issues, a number of associations suggest adolescent pregnancy, opioid use, and other health-related outcomes are part of a cluster of negative health conditions that should be addressed holistically. To determine whether there is an association between teenage pregnancy and negative health outcomes, including opioid misuse, among WV adolescent girls. This study was conducted from July 2018 to March 2019. We obtained the most recently-available aggregate data at the county level for each of the 55 WV counties from the WV Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) on July 30, 2018, and we analyzed it during the fall of 2018. Raw data regarding pregnancy-related outcomes included WV girls between the ages of 15and 19, was acquired between 2014 and 2017 by county, and was provided by the WVDHHR as a mean taken across all fouryears. Raw data regarding opioid misuse outcomes and heart-health variables included WV girls and women of all ages, was collected between 2014 and 2017 by county, and was provided by the WVDHHR as a mean taken across all fouryears, unless stated otherwise. Pearson correlation analysis was utilized to examine the associations between the teenage pregnancy and birth rates, opioid misuse, pregnancy, and heart-health-related statistics, as well as environmental variables. Teenage pregnancy and birth rates were positively associated with fetal death rates (r=0.308, p<0.05 and r=0.261, p<0.10, respectively). The rate of fetal death among mothers aged 15-19years was higher in counties with higher teenage pregnancy and birth rates. As the pregnancy and birth rates increased, the rate of abortion increased even more (r=0.434 and r=0.304 respectively, both p<0.05). Teenage pregnancy and birth rates were associated with opioid overdose death rates for all WV girls and women (Pearson correlations, r=0.444 and 0.418 respectively, both p<0.01). WV counties with higher pregnancy and birth rates among girls aged 15-19 years had a greater proportion of women dying from opioid overdose. Teenage pregnancy and birth rates were both positively correlated with obesity, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure (all r>0.39, all p<0.05). Neither the high-school dropout rate nor the number of WVDHHR listed clinics were associated with teenage pregnancy or birth rates (p>0.10). Reduction of unintended teenage pregnancy may be viewed as a nontraditional, holistic, method of ameliorating the opioid misuse crisis in the state of WV. This recommendation should be part of a multi-pronged approach to mitigating the opioid epidemic in WV and all of Appalachia.

Unintended Teenage Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study to Explore Perspectives and Experiences of Young Mothers

Teenage sexual activity and unintended pregnancy is a growing societal problem, particularly in a culturally-sensitive region such as Asia. This paper explores the perspectives and experiences of young mothers with unintended teenage pregnancies. A qualitative study with a one-to-one approach was conducted with ten teenagers aged 16 to 19 years old with unintended pregnancy. The participants were selected via purposive sampling from a woman protection centre in west-coastal Peninsular Malaysia. Perspectives of unintended teenage pregnancy, factors influencing unintended teenage pregnancy, and approaches to overcome unintended teenage pregnancy were themes that emerged from the data. The study findings can be used to develop suitable models, training modules and educational programmes for the prevention of unintended pregnancy among teenagers.

Actors Affecting Girl-Child Education among the Kambari of Niger State, Nigeria: A Sociological Perspective

This study examined factors that adversely affect girl-child education among the Kambari. Marx Weber’s social action theory, patriarchy and sex role theories provided the theoretical framework. Empirical data were drawn from a household survey among 1,598 respondents, comprising a pair of adult males (385) and their sons (385) and adult females (414) and their daughters (414). A multi-staged sampling technic was employed to select sample units. Two structured questionnaires were employed for the household survey. Twelve case-studies of girl-children, fourteen in-depth interviews and fifteen FGDs were also conducted among different groups. The data were subjected to descriptive, logistic regression and content analyses. The burden of domestic work, unintended teenage pregnancy, poor academic performance, parental ignorance, child-betrothal and early marriage, son preference adversely affected the girl-child’s access to education. The logistic regression shows that the odds of exhibiting discriminatory practice towards girl-child education are about 6 times higher among adult males compared to the females, 4.2 times higher among participants with no formal education, 4 times higher among adherents of traditional religion and 3 times among Muslims. Further, respondents with rigid conception of gender role are more likely to exhibit discriminatory gender practices as well as those with negative childhood experience, those from homes where men dominate in decision-making and those from homes with non-valuation of women’s participation in decision-making. A holistic approach should be adopted at all levels of government, religious and traditional institutions to address the marginalization of Kambari girl-children in accessing formal education.

Provision of contraceptive implants in school-based health centers: A cost-effectiveness analysis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of providing contraceptive implants in school-based health centers (SBHCs) compared to the practice of referring adolescents to non-SBHCs in New York City. Study DesignWe developed a microsimulation model of teen pregnancy to estimate the cost-effectiveness of immediate provision of contraceptive implants at SBHCs over a 3-year time horizon. Model parameters were derived from both a retrospective chart review of patient data and published literature. The model projected the number of pregnancies as well as the total costs for each intervention scenario. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated using the public payer perspective, using direct costs only. ResultsThe health care cost of immediate provision of contraceptive implants at SBHCs was projected to be $13,719 per person compared to $13,567 per person for delayed provision at the referral appointment over 3 years. However, immediate provision would prevent 78 more pregnancies per 1000 adolescents over 3 years. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for implementing in-school provision was $1940 per additional pregnancy prevented, which was less than the $4206.41 willingness-to-pay threshold. Sensitivity analyses showed that the cost-effectiveness conclusion was robust over a wide range of key model inputs. ConclusionProvision of contraceptive implants in SBHCs compared to non-SBHCs is cost-effective for preventing unintended teen pregnancy. Health care providers and policymakers should consider expanding this model of patient-centered health care delivery to other locations.

Female adolescents' reproductive health decision-making capacity and contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa: What does the future hold?

Given the social, economic, and health consequences of early parenthood, unintended pregnancy, and the risks of HIV infection and subsequent transmission, there is an urgent need to understand how adolescents make sexual and reproductive decisions regarding contraceptive use. This study sought to assess the association between female adolescents' reproductive health decision-making capacity and their contraceptive usage. Data was obtained from pooled current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The unit of analysis for this study was adolescents in sexual unions [n = 15,858]. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted using Pearson chi-square tests and binary logistic regression respectively. All analyses were performed using STATA version 14.2. Results were presented using Odds Ratios [OR] and adjusted Odds Ratios [AOR]. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The results showed that 68.66% of adolescents in SSA had the capacity to make reproductive health decisions. The overall prevalence of contraceptive use was 18.87%, ranging from 1.84% in Chad to 45.75% in Zimbabwe. Adolescents who had the capacity to take reproductive health decisions had higher odds of using contraceptives [AOR = 1.47; CI = 1.31-1.65, p < 0.001]. The odds of contraceptive use among female adolescents increased with age, with those aged 19 years having the highest likelihood of using contraceptives [AOR = 3.12; CI = 2.27-34.29, p < 0.001]. Further, the higher the level of education, the more likely female adolescents will use contraceptives, and this was more predominant among those with secondary/higher education [AOR = 2.50; CI = 2.11-2.96, p < 0.001]. Female adolescents who were cohabiting had higher odds of using contraceptives, compared to those who were married [AOR = 1.69; CI = 1.47-1.95, p < 0.001]. The odds of contraceptive use was highest among female adolescents from the richest wealth quintile, compared to those from the poorest wealth quintile [AOR = 1.65; CI = 1.35-2.01, p<0.001]. Conversely, female adolescents in rural areas were less likely to use contraceptives, compared to those in urban areas [AOR = 0.78; CI = 0.69-0.89, p < 0.001]. The use of general and modern contraceptives among adolescents in SSA remains low. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen existing efforts on contraceptives usage among adolescents in SSA. This goal can be achieved by empowering these young females, particularly those in the rural areas where the level of literacy is very low to take positive reproductive health decisions to prevent unintended teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted infections. This approach would help reduce maternal mortality and early childbirth in studied SSA countries.

An Overview of Adolescents Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Provision in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Safer sex provision, including contraception information and services, should be made available to adolescents regardless of their marital status in strategies to reduce the incidence of unintended teenage pregnancies and the spread of STIs. In Malaysia, this information is still not being delivered formally to adolescents even though unintended teenage pregnancies and the practice of “baby dumping” are serious public health issues. The aims of this article are to describe the Malaysian context in terms of the need for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and treatment for unmarried adolescents. The article presents the key aspects of Malaysian society and the potential influence on the provision and delivery of sexual and reproductive health information and treatment to unmarried Malaysian adolescents that can be a reference for healthcare professionals especially school health nurses. The article also describes the establishment of sheltered homes, baby hatches and unregulated adoption processes as the initiatives being taken to address the issue of unintended teenage pregnancies. This article suggests that the policy and laws that require parental consent for accessing the services need to be reviewed and revised to ensure that specific services are available to adolescents in a safe environment that maintains confidentiality.

Providing Long-acting Reversible Contraception to Adolescents: A Review.

Unintended teen pregnancy continues to be a problem in the United States which has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy among developed nations. Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) has much higher continuation rates compared with moderately effective reversible contraception; however, moderately effective reversible contraception is more commonly used by adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend LARC as first-line contraception for adolescents. Clinicians providing contraception to adolescents should be knowledgeable of LARC indications, side effects, initiation guidelines, management of adverse reactions, and adolescent specific issues regarding LARC counseling, initiation, and continuation.

Impact of the Rochester LARC Initiative on adolescents’ utilization of long-acting reversible contraception

Preventing unintended teen pregnancy is a national public health priority, and increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception is part of the recommended strategy for the achievement of this goal. Nevertheless, adolescent long-acting reversible contraceptive use across the nation has remained low, even after national and state-level programs increased coverage for no-cost contraception. One persistent barrier is misinformation about the safety, efficacy, and availability of long-acting reversible contraception for teens. To overcome this barrier, the Hoekelman Center, in collaboration with multiple partners, designed and implemented a community health intervention. The Greater Rochester LARC Initiative disseminated accurate information about contraceptive options with a focus on long-acting reversible methods by delivering interactive lunch-and-learn talks throughout the Greater Rochester, NY area. Audiences included both healthcare providers and adults who work with adolescents in nonmedical community-based organizations. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the community-level impact of the Greater Rochester LARC Initiative on adolescent long-acting reversible contraception use. Our evaluation design was pre-post with a nonrandomized control group. We used publicly available Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data from the years 2013, 2015, and 2017 for our intervention site of Rochester, NY, New York City, New York State, and the United States overall. These years cover the time before and after the intervention began in 2014. We used z-statistics in investigating the hypothesis that long-acting reversible contraception use increased more in Rochester than in the comparison populations. Between 2013 and 2017, long-acting reversible contraception use in Rochester rose from 4-24% of sexually active female high school students (P<.0001). Over the same period, long-acting reversible contraception use in New York State rose from 1.5-4.8%, and in New York City long-acting reversible contraception use rose from 2.7-5.3%. In the United States overall, long-acting reversible contraception use rose from 1.8-5.3%. Thus, the increase in long-acting reversible contraception use in Rochester was larger than the secular trend in the control groups (P<.0001). Adolescent long-acting reversible contraceptive use increased significantly more in Rochester than in the nation as a whole. This finding is consistent with a substantial positive impact of the Greater Rochester LARC Initiative, which implies that similar interventions could be useful complements to unintended teen pregnancy prevention programs elsewhere and might be helpful more generally for the diffusion of evidence-based health-improvement practices.

Knowledge and Perception of Emergency Contraceptives Among Adolescent Girls in Imo State, Nigeria

Unintended teenage pregnancies are associated with several negative outcomes, which include unsafe abortion, school dropout and emotional distress. Contraceptives, especially emergency contraceptives, which offer a second chance of preventing an unplanned pregnancy after unprotected intercourse, may be useful in reducing teenage pregnancies. There have been several studies on the assessment of the level of knowledge and usage of emergency contraception among adolescents. This study focused on comparing the knowledge and perception of emergency contraceptives among female adolescents in co-educational secondary schools and girls-only schools. The study utilized mixed methods to examine knowledge and perception of emergency contraceptives among adolescent girls in Imo State, Nigeria. Systematic and simple random sampling techniques were used to pick respondents from the purposively selected schools in Imo State. Only 14.5% of the respondents had good knowledge of emergency contraceptives even though 52.8% of the sample had heard of them. In the girls-only schools, 19.4% of the respondents had good knowledge of emergency contraceptives, compared with 9.2% of the respondents in co-educational schools who had such knowledge. Additionally, only 25% of the respondents in all had ever used emergency contraceptives. All the respondents had the notion that emergency contraceptives might cause female infertility. The schools had almost similar perceptions about emergency contraceptives. Therefore, sex education, specifically for each gender, is recommended. Also, awareness programs on the use of emergency contraceptives should be intensified among adolescents.