The impact of the women's centre of Jamaica foundation programme for adolescent mothers on repeat pregnancies

A random sample (n=260) of primiparous Jamaican adolescent mothers (12-16 years old) who gave birth in 1994 in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and Manchester was selected from vital records and interviewed in 1998 for this historical cohort study. Among programme participants, the incidence of repeat pregnancy was 37 percent compared with 60 percent among non-participants. Programme participation reduced the risk of one or more repeat pregnancies by 45 percent with 95 percent confidence interval (0.22, 0.91). Programme participants were also 1.5 times (1.005, 2.347) more likely to complete high school than non-participants; however, this effect did not achieve statistical significance. The results confirmed that the WCJF Programme exerts a considerable effect on the incidence of repeat pregnancy among participants. The benefits of programme participation were greatest among residents of the Kingston Metropolitan Area from single parent, female headed households with average incomes below J$10,000, who wanted to continue their education after the first live birth.(Au)

The impact of the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation programme for adolescent mothers on repeat pregnancies

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation Programme for adolescent mothers (WCJF) on the incidence of repeat pregnancies occurring between 1995 and 1998, and on the educational attainment of programme participants. DESIGN AND METHODS: A random sample (n=260) of primiparous Jamaican adolescent mothers, 12-16 years, who gave birth in 1994 in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and Manchester was selected from vital records and interviewed in 1998 for this historical cohort study. RESULTS: Only 23.5 percent of all repeat pregnancies in the entire study population were among programme participants compared with 76.5 percent among non-participant. Programme participation reduced the risk of one or more repeat pregnancies by 45 percent (0.22-0.9). Programme participants were also 1.5 times (1.00-2.3) more likely to complete high school than non-participants. CONCLUSION: The results confirmed that WCJF Programme exerts a beneficial effect on the incidence of repeat pregnancy among participants. The benefits of programme participation were greatest among residents of the Kingston Metropolitan Area from single parent, female-headed households with average monthly incomes below J$10,000, who wanted to continue their education after the first live birth.(AU)