Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancies have become a public health issue because of their observed negative effects on prenatal outcomes and long-term morbidity. The association of young maternal age and long-term morbidity is usually confounded, however, by the high prevalence of poverty, low level of education, and single marital status among teenage mothers. The authors assess the independent effect of teenage pregnancy on educational disabilities and educational problems. When no other factors are taken into account, children of teenage mothers have significantly higher odds of placement in certain special education classes and significantly higher occurrence of milder education problems, but when maternal education, marital status, poverty level, and race are controlled, the detrimental effects disappear and even some protective effects are observed. Hence, the increased risk for educational problems and disabilities among children of teenage mothers is attributed not to the effect of young age but to the confounding influences of associated socio demographic factors. In contrast to teen age, older maternal age has an adverse effect on a childs educational outcome regardless of whether other factors are controlled for or not. Causes of Teenage Pregnancy In some societies, early marriage and traditional gender roles are important factors in the rate of teenage pregnancy. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young womans fertility. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy is more common in traditional rural communities compared to the rate in cities. In societies where adolescent marriage is uncommon, an early age at first intercourse and lack of contraceptive use may be factors. Most teenage pregnancies in the developed world appear to be unplanned. Ikram Ul Islam
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 07:20:00 +0000
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