Factors that influence the occurrence of teenage pregnancy - abstract

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To examine the way by which the family and other socio-environmental factors may influence the occurrence of pregnancies among teenagers. DESIGN AND METHODS: A case control methodology was used. The sample size was 90 with a 11 ratio of cases to control. Pregnant teenagers (14-19 years) who attended the antenatal clinic at the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of the West Indies (UWI) during February and March of 1995 were selected as cases. All female teenagers who had never been pregnant, and who lived on five randomly selected streets in the nearby community, were selected as controls. RESULTS: The adolescents who became pregnant were 2.7 times more likely to have a mother who was herself a teenaged mother. They were also likely to have had no discussion with their parent or guardian about human sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: There is the need to break the intergenerational cycle of teenage pregnancy. Parenting education, including effective communication skills, is vital.(AU)