Teenage Pregnancy

Historical perspective

The 1950s 'teengae' had appeared with the development of distinctive youthful lifestyles and culture(Abrams, 1959). In the early 1970s ， the uk had similar teenage birth rates to other European countries .( Dennision and Hadley，2005)

Current perspective

However since Europe achieved dramatic falls in the 1980s and 1990s , rates in the UK ramained at a standstill. The conception rate for women aged 15 to 19 years was 64.9 per 1000 women in 1996（Dickson , Paul , Herbison et al. 1998). Futhermore, In 1999， the National Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was launched in England (Department of Health, 2000). The national conception rate under 18 years old for England was 46.6 per 1000 (Chase, et al, 2009).

Whilst there is an acceptance that the birth of a child to a young mother is not inevitably a high-risk situation, the outcomes depend substantially on the level of support available to the child and his or her parents.( Holgate et al, 2006)

Teenage pregnancy has been clearly highlighted as a key inequality issue. （8 Desmond N, Whitlow B and Hay P (1995) A publicity campaign for emergency contraception. Br J Fam Plan. 21 :154.） However, a recent nationwide survey found that only 25% of health improvement programmes had developed a local focus on sexual health and teenage pregnancy rates through multi-agency working. （ 9Harlow J (2000) Pop princess sets her heart on celibacy. The Sunday Times. 14 May :26.）

Risk factors for teenage pregnancy （3） Teenage pregnancy is both a cause and an effect of inequalities in health. （3）,（4） Teenage mothers tend to have poor antenatal care, low birthweight infants and higher infant mortality rates. Teenage parents tend to miss out on education and to have substantially lower incomes. They are also more likely to suffer from postnatal depression and relationship breakdown.

reference ：

Dennison,C & Hadley,A (2005), "Teenage pregnancy". In Ewles, L. Key topics in public health: essential briefings on prevention and health promotion, Elsevier Limited, London,

Desmond N, Whitlow B and Hay P (1995) A publicity campaign for emergency contraception. Br J Fam Plan. 21 :154.

Dickson N, Paul C, Herbison P et al. (1998) First sexual intercourse: age, coercion, and later regrets reported by a birth cohort. BMJ. 316 :29-33.