- Global incidence of teenage pregnancy
Industrialized and developing countries have distinctly different rates of
teenage pregnancy . In developed regions, such asNorth America andWestern Europe , teenparent s tend to be unmarried and adolescent pregnancy is seen as asocial issue . By contrast, teenage parents in developing countries are often married, and theirpregnancy may be welcomed byfamily andsociety . However, in these societies, early pregnancy may combine withmalnutrition and poorhealth care to cause medical problems. A report bySave the Children found that, annually, 13 million children are born to women under age 20 worldwide. More than 90% of these births occur to women living in developing countries.Complications of pregnancy andchildbirth are the leading cause of mortality among women between the ages of 15 and 19 in such areas, as they are the leading cause of mortality among older women.Africa
The highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world — 143 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years — is in
sub-Saharan Africa . Treffers, P.E. (November 22, 2003). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14669537&dopt=Abstract Teenage pregnancy, a worldwide problem] . "Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde, 147(47)", 2320-5. Retrieved July 7, 2006. ] Women inAfrica , in general, get married at much earlier ages than women elsewhere — leading to earlier pregnancies. InNiger , according to the Health and Demographic Survey in 1992, 47% of women aged 20-24 were married before 15 and 87% before 18. 53% of those surveyed also had given birth to a child before the age of 18. Locoh, Therese. (2000). " [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_1_26/ai_62793785 Early Marriage And Motherhood In Sub-Saharan Africa] ." "WIN News." Retrieved July 7, 2006. ]Teenage birth rates in African countries (2002): [http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?Country=GB&IndicatorID=127 Indicator: Births per 1000 women (15-19 ys) – 2002] UNFPA, State of World Population 2003, Retrieved Jan 22, 2007.]
233
-* per 1000 women aged 15-19A
Save the Children report identified 10 countries where motherhood carried the most risks for young women and their babies. Of these, 9 were in sub-Saharan Africa, and Niger,Liberia , andMali were the nations where girls were the most at-risk. In the 10 highest-risk nations, more than one in six teenage girls between the ages of 15 to 19 gave birth annually, and nearly one in seven babies born to these teenagers died before the age of one year. [http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7449/1152-a Pregnancy and childbirth are leading causes of death in teenage girls in developing countries] ]Asia
In the
Indian subcontinent ,premarital sex is uncommon, but earlymarriage sometimes means adolescent pregnancy. The rate of early marriage is higher inrural regions than it is in urbanized areas. Fertility rates in South Asia range from 71 to 119 births per 1000 women aged 15-19. 30% of all Indian induced abortions are performed on women who are under 20.Other parts of Asia have shown a trend towards increasing age at marriage for both
sex es. InSouth Korea andSingapore , marriage before age 20 has all but disappeared, and, although the occurrence ofsexual intercourse before marriage has risen, rates of adolescent childbearing are low at 4 to 8 per 1000. The rate of early marriage and pregnancy has decreased sharply inIndonesia andMalaysia ; however, it remains high in comparison to the rest ofAsia .Surveys from
Thailand have found that a significant minority of unmarried adolescents are sexually active. Although premarital sex is considered normal behavior for males, particularly withprostitute s, it is not always regarded as such for females. Most Thai youth reported that their first sexual experience, whether within or outside of marriage, was without contraception. The adolescent fertility rate in Thailand is relatively high at 60 per 1000. 25% of women admitted tohospital s in Thailand for complications of induced abortion arestudent s. The Thai government has undertaken measures to inform the nation's youth about the prevention ofsexually transmitted disease s and unplannedpregnancy .According to the
World Health Organization , in several Asian countries includingBangladesh and Indonesia, a large proportion (26-37%) ofdeath s among female adolescents can be attributed to maternal causes. Mehta, Suman, Groenen, Riet, & Roque, Francisco. United Nations Social and Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific. (1998). [http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/icpd/sec7.asp Adolescents in Changing Times: Issues and Perspectives for Adolescent Reproductive Health in The ESCAP Region] . Retrieved July 7, 2006. ]Europe
Teenage birth and abortion rates in European countries (1998):The overall trend in
Europe since 1970 has been a decreasingtotal fertility rate , an increase in the age at which women experience their first birth, and a decrease in the number of births among teenagers. However, in the past, teenage mothers in Europe tended to be married, and therefore were less likely to be perceived as asocial issue . Some countries, such asGreece andPoland , retain atraditional model of births to married mothers in their late teens.The rates of teenage pregnancy may vary widely within a country. For instance, in the
United Kingdom , the rate of adolescent pregnancy in 2002 was as high as 100.4 per 1000 among young women living in theLondon Borough of Lambeth , and as low as 20.2 per 1000 among residents in theMidlands local authority area ofRutland . InItaly , the teenage birth rate in central regions is only 3.3 per 1,000, but, in theMezzogiorno it is 10.0 per 1000.Teenage birth is often associated with alcohol and drugs. Across 13 nations in the
European Union , women who gave birth as teenagers are twice as likely to be living inpoverty , in comparison to those who wait until they are over 20. UNICEF. (2001). PDFlink| [http://www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/repcard3e.pdf A League Table of Teenage Births in Rich Nations] |888 KiB . Retrieved July 7, 2006. ]United Kingdom
The U.K, which has the highest teenage birth rate in Europe (20 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002), also has a higher rate of
abortion than most European countries. 80% of young Britons reported engaging insexual intercourse while still in their teens, although a half of those under 16, and one-third of those between 16 to 19, said they did not use a form ofcontraception during their first encounter. Less than 10% of British teen mothers are married and a relatively high proportion of them are under the age of 16. Adolescent pregnancy is viewed as a matter of concern by both the British government and the British press.Netherlands
In contrast, the
Netherlands has a low rate of births and abortions among teenagers (5 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002). Compared to countries with higher teenage birth rates, the Dutch have a higher average age at first intercourse and increased levels of contraceptive use (including the "double Dutch" method of using both ahormonal contraception method and acondom ).Nordic countries
Nordic countries , such asDenmark andSweden , also have low rates of teenage birth (both have 7 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002), but their abortion rates are higher than those of the Netherlands.Mediterranean countries
In some countries, such as Italy and
Spain , the low rate of adolescent pregnancy may be attributed totraditional values andsocial stigma tization. These countries also have low overall fertility rates.Portugal , however, has a relatively high percentage of teenage pregnancy (17 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002).North America
United States
The teenage birth rate in
United States was 53 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002, the highest in the developed world.UNICEF. (2001). PDFlink| [http://www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/repcard3e.pdf A League Table of Teenage Births in Rich Nations] |888 KiB . Retrieved July 7, 2006. ] If all pregnancies, including those which end in abortion or miscarriage, are taken into account, then the total rate in 2000 was 75.4 pregnancies per 1,000 girls. Nevada and the District of Columbia have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S., while North Dakota has the lowest. 95% of teenage pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended; approximately one third end in abortion, one third end in spontaneous miscarriage, and one third will continue their pregnancy and keep their baby. [Strasburger, Victor C. (2007) [http://www.coolnurse.com/teen_pregnancy_rates.htm Teen Pregnancy Rates in the USA] Cool Nurse, MD University of New Mexico School of Medicine.]However, the trend is decreasing: in 1990, the birth rate was 61.8, and the pregnancy rate 116.9 per thousand. This decline has manifested across all racial groups, although teenagers of
African-American andHispanic descent retain a higher rate, in comparison to that ofEuropean-American s andAsian-American s. TheGuttmacher Institute attributed about 25% of the decline to abstinence and 75% to the effective use of contraceptives.Wind, Rebecca. The Guttmacher Institute. (February 19, 2004). " [http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2004/02/19/index.html U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Rate Drops For 10th Straight Year] ." Retrieved July 7, 2006.]Within the United States teen pregnancy is often brought up in political discourse. The goal to limit teen pregnancy is shared by Republicans and Democrats, though avenues of reduction are usually different. Many Democrats cite teen pregnancy as proof of the continuing need for access to birth control and abortion, while Republicans often cite a need for returning to conservative values.
An inverse correlation has been noted between teen pregnancy rates and the quality of education in a state. A positive correlation, albeit weak, appears between a city's teen pregnancy rate and its average summer night temperature, especially in the Southern U.S. (Savageau, compiler, 1993-1995).
Canada
The Canadian teenage birth rate in 2002 was 16 per 1000 and the teenage pregnancy rate was 33.9. According to data from
Statistics Canada , the Canadian teenage pregnancy rate has trended towards a steady decline for both younger (15-17) and older (18-19) teens in the period between 1992-2002. Dryburgh, H. (2002). Teenage pregnancy. Health Reports, 12 (1), 9-18; Statistics Canada . (2005). Health Indicators, 2005, 2. Retrieved from [http://www.sexualityandu.ca/teachers/data-6.aspx Facts and Statistics: Sexual Health and Canadian Youth - Teen Pregnancy Rates] ] Canada's highest teen pregnancy rates occur in small towns located in rural parts of peninsularOntario .References
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