Prevalence
Age and criteria for social maturity vary across the world and cultures. As a consequence, the current prevalence of adolescent pregnancy is very variable. It differs from South Korea to the United States, Africa to Europe. Many teenage girls do not represent the magnitude of the problem as seen around the world. Loneliness haunts them, so we should not turn a blind eye to this problem. Adolescent girls continue to face difficulties accessing sex education that could help avoid pregnancy.
Risk Factors
When considering risk factors for teenage pregnancy, it is essential to look at the conditions in which a child grows up and develops in a particular community. Social conditions often become catalysts of risky behavior; therefore, adolescent girls must constantly be on the agenda of social workers. Adolescents are exposed to eco-social factors, the impact of which negatively affects their health (Goin et al., 2021). In addition, more often than not, an unfavorable family environment becomes a factor that prevents a child from receiving medical care. And this applies not only to having an abortion but also to maintaining a pregnancy.
Contributing Factors
In addition to the previously listed factors, a spectrum of conditions contributes to the risk of teenage pregnancy. Among these are parental control and caregiving, as abandoned adolescents are likelier to feel lonely and look for opportunities to demonstrate their adulthood (Chung et al., 2018). In addition, it should not be forgotten that disadvantaged neighborhoods continue to have high indices of childhood violence, and girls are more likely to be exposed to it than boys. Increased pregnancy among children results in a multitude of traumas, both physical and psychological. Goin et al. (2021) used experimental modeling and found that the vulnerability factor arising from environmental exposures leads to abortions and premature births.
Current Situation
The teen birth rate has dropped to a new low every year since 2009. Nevertheless, the teen birth rate in the United States remains higher than in many other developed countries, including Canada, South Korea, and the United Kingdom (Chung et al., 2018). In 2020, the teen birth rate was 15.4 (births for every 1,000 women ages 15-19), eight percent less than in 2019. There were 158,043 births to women in this age group, less than five percent of all births in 2020 (WHO, 2020).
Personal Role and Contribution
The role of the practitioner or public health officer derives from the breadth of the function. One should turn to the kind of professional activity the staff conducts: practitioners can usually influence small communities. This is expressed in the dissemination of information to parents and adolescents (WHO, 2020). It is often difficult for children to open up to a parent or school psychologist, but medical staff can be perceived more efficiently. The primary role of the practitioner is to hear the child and allow them to make decisions after all the informational activities.
Identifying the Problem
Detecting the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is linked to monitoring the frequency of girls’ visits to clinics and antenatal clinics. In addition, it is aimed at assessing the health condition during annual check-ups and at school lessons relating to physical activity. Attention should be paid to the behavior of adolescents and their communication with their parents because pregnancy can be hidden from them. The prevalence of the problem can be assessed by examining social conditions and calculating them mathematically. More attention should be paid to teenage pregnancy in poor areas than in those with constant access to medical care.
The solution to the Problem
To solve the problem of teenage pregnancy, it is necessary to involve all the potential resources that the government and society have at their disposal. First, it is required to allocate a budget and finance women’s clinics, making them more convenient even for teenagers. Second, allocate funds for psychologists in schools and education classes with a specialist who will fill the gaps in adolescent knowledge. Third, lowering the price of contraceptives would make them affordable, even for low-income populations.
Exercise
Assignment: to make a memo to help teenage girls at 14.
This assignment will assess how knowledgeable teenagers are about pregnancy. After a lecture about risk factors, one can find out what actions they would take if they were pregnant and if they understand the responsibility. It is also part of monitoring the current information preparedness of the target audience and assessing their understanding of responsibility for unprotected sexual intercourse. The results of the assignment will establish what gaps are being observed in a particular community and from which potential additional prevention interventions can be found.
Help and Support Resources
Asking for help is too scary for teenage girls, so it is a good idea to share resources where they can learn about teen pregnancy. The most important thing is to be responsive, so all help resources should be posted in easy-to-access places: on school boards, clinics, and newspapers (Goin et al., 2018). The first step is building trust with the teenage girl, so the Internet resources should be looked at first.
Outcomes
Teen pregnancy is a common occurrence and requires increased attention. Social status, low sexual education, high cost of contraception, and primary counseling are risk factors. The solution to the problem lies in reducing the cost of counseling, facilitating access to contraception, the dissemination of information, and the availability of psychological support. The primary recommendation in case of pregnancy is to seek medical help and notify parents.
Thus, the urgency of the problem of teenage pregnancy forces us to continue to look for ways to reduce its prevalence. Although the actions are already working, they may not be enough. Exercise and education can increase adolescent sexual sensitivity and prevent the spread of pregnancy. In addition, the involvement of practitioners and school and clinic staff can develop trust between adults and adolescents.
References
Chung, H. W., Kim, E. M., & Lee, J. E. (2018). Comprehensive understanding of risk and protective factors related to adolescent pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Journal of adolescence, 69, 180–188. Web.
Early childbearing. (2021). UNICEF. Web.
Goin, D. E., Casey, J. A., Kioumourtzoglou, M.-A., Cushing, L. J., & Morello-Frosch, R. (2021). Environmental hazards, social inequality, and fetal loss: Implications of live-birth bias for estimation of disparities in birth outcomes. Environmental Epidemiology, 5(2). Web.
Kelbach, J. (n.d.). 17 Solid Resources for Pregnant Teens. Health & Welness. Web.
World health organization. (2020). Adolescent pregnancy. WHO. Web.