Youth Challenge; the Awareness of Healthcare Education in Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy
Downloads
Adolescents face various physical and psychological changes due to their rapid growth and development. Therefore, adolescent pregnancy causes to many physical, psychological and social problems. To determine the impacts of peer influence, socio economic status, knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and knowledge of safety measures of pregnancy towards awareness of healthcare education related to adolescent pregnancy were objectives of this study. Advanced level girls of Sri Lankan schools are aimed population and sample of 373 was collected by validated questionnaire as per stratified sampling method. According to the results, students live in moderate to low socio-economy; moderate to high peer influence; moderate to low knowledge of safety measures of pregnancy; moderate to high knowledge of STI; moderate to high awareness of healthcare education related to adolescent pregnancy. The study finding revealed a positive outcome towards awareness of healthcare education related to adolescent pregnancy from knowledge of STI, knowledge of safety measures of pregnancy and peer influence. But there was no significant impact from socio-economic status to awareness of healthcare education related to adolescent pregnancy. The results were proved by pilot study of adolescent pregnant ladies and can be concluded that awareness of healthcare education can be developed through knowledge of STI, knowledge of safety measures of pregnancy with support of peer influence for prevent adolescent pregnancy. Therefore, conducting comprehensive sex education programs in schools, community intervention programs focusing on teenagers and ensuring general access of contraceptives to enhance awareness of healthcare education will be beneficial to eliminate adolescent pregnancy.
Downloads
1. World Health Organization. Adolescent pregnancy: Evidence brief. Geneva: WHO; 2019.
2. Govindasamy P, Ramesh BM. Maternal education and the utilization of maternal and child health services in India. National Family Health Survey Subject Reports. Mumbai, India: International Institute for Population Sciences; 1997. p. 20-28.
3. Weitzman A. The effects of women's education on maternal health: Evidence from Peru. Soc Sci Med. 2017;180:1-9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.004
4. Ministry of Health. Annual health bulletin 2019. Sri Lanka: Director General of Health Services; 2019. Available from: https://www.health.gov.lk/annual-health-bulletin/
5. Ministry of Health. Annual health bulletin 2020. Sri Lanka: Director General of Health Services; 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.lk/annual-health-bulletin/
6. Sawyer SM, Afifi RA, Bearinger LH. Adolescence: A foundation for future health. Lancet. 2012;379(9826):1630-40. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60072-5
7. World Health Organization. Health for the world’s adolescents. Geneva: WHO; 2014.
8. World Health Organization. Adolescent health epidemiology. Geneva: WHO; 2012.
9. Sonfield A, Tapales A, Jones RK, Finer LB. Impact of the federal contraceptive coverage guarantee on out-of-pocket payments for contraceptives: 2014 update. Contraception. 2015;91(1):44-48. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2014.09.006
10. Ruedinger E, Cox JE. Adolescent childbearing: consequences and interventions. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2012;24(4):446-52. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1097/mop.0b013e3283557b89
11. Voland E. Evolutionary ecology of human reproduction. Annu Rev Anthropol. 1998;27:347-74. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.27.1.347
12. Joshi C, Torvaldsen S, Hodgson R, Hayen A. Factors associated with the use and quality of antenatal care in Nepal: A population-based study using the demographic and health survey data. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2014;14:94. Available from: https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2393-14-94
13. Smith-Greenaway E. Maternal reading skills and child mortality in Nigeria: A reassessment of why education matters. Demography. 2013;50(5):1551-61. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-013-0209-1
14. Barber N. On the relationship between marital opportunity and teen pregnancy: The sex ratio question. J Cross Cult Psychol. 2001;32(3):259-67. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022101032003001
15. Gunaratna KA, Goonawardene M. Teenage pregnancy and contraception. Sri Lanka Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2001;23(1):15-19.
16. Ruedinger E, Cox JE. Adolescent child bearing: consequences and interventions. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2012 Aug;24(4):446-52. doi: 10.1097/mop.0b013e3283557b89.
17. Kaufmann C. Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood in South Africa. Stud Fam Plann. 2001;32(2):147-60. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00147.x
18. Lenhart A, Madden M. Teens, privacy and online social networks: How teens manage their online identities and personal information in the age of My Space. Pew Internet & American Life Project Report. 2007;4(1):404.
19. World Health Organization. HIV/AIDS global review. Geneva: WHO; 2006.
20. Furstenberg JR, Frank F, Brooks-Gunn J. Adolescent mothers in later life. Fam Plann Perspect. 1987;19(4):142-51. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/2135159
21. Stevens-Simon C, White MM. Adolescent pregnancy. Pediatr Ann. 1991;20(6):322-31. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3928/0090-4481-19910601-09
22. Moore KA, Waite LJ. Early childbearing and educational attainment. Fam Plann Perspect. 1977;9(5):220-25. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/2134432
23. Card JJ, Wise LL. Teenage mothers and teen fathers: The impact of early childbearing on the parents’ personal and professional lives. Fam Plann Perspect. 1978;10(4):199-205. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/2134267
24. Alwan N, Tuffnell DJ, West J. Treatments for gestational diabetes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003395.pub2
25. Haldre K, Rahu K, Karro H, Rahu M. Is a poor pregnancy outcome related to young maternal age? A study of teenagers in Estonia during the period of major socio-economic changes (from 1992 to 2002). Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2007;131(1):45-51. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2006.05.002
26. Chen CW, Tsai CY, Sung FC. Adverse birth outcomes among pregnancies of teen mothers: Age-specific analysis of national data in Taiwan. Child Care Health Dev. 2010;36(2):232-40. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.01039.x
27. Cooper LG, Leland NL, Alexander GR. Effect of maternal age on birth outcomes among young adolescents. Biodemography Soc Biol. 1995;42(1-2):22-35.
28. de Vienne CM, Creveuil C, Dreyfus M. Does young maternal age increase the risk of adverse obstetric, fatal and neonatal outcomes: A cohort study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2009;147(2):151-56.
29. DuPlessis HM, Bell R, Richards T. Adolescent pregnancy: Understanding the impact of age and race on outcomes. J Adolesc Health. 1997;20(3):187-97.
30. Flanagan S, Gorstein A, Nicholson M, Bradish S, Amanyire D, Gidudu A, et al. Behavioural intervention for adolescent uptake of family planning: a randomized controlled trial, Uganda. Bull World Health Organ. 2021;99(11):795-804. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.20.285339
31. World Health Organization. Adolescents falling through gaps in HIV services. Geneva: WHO; 2013.
32. Moscicki AB. HPV infections in adolescents. Dis Markers. 2007;23(4):229-34.
33. Trisha M, Fuller TR, House D, Romero LM, Brittain A, Varanasi B. Teen pregnancy prevention: Implementation of a multicomponent, community-wide approach. J Adolesc Health. 2016;60(3S):S9-S17. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.11.002
34. Patton GC, Sawyer SM, Santelli JS. Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. Lancet. 2012;387(10036):2423-78. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00579-1
35. Catalano RF, Fagan AA, Gavin LE. Worldwide application of prevention science in adolescent health. Lancet. 2012;379(9826):1653-64. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60238-4
36. Viner RM, Ozer EM, Denny S. Adolescence and the social determinants of health. Lancet. 2012;379(9826):1641-52. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60149-4
37. Adjiwanou V, LeGrand T. Does antenatal care matter in the use of skilled birth attendance in rural Africa? Soc Sci Med. 2013;86:26-34. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.02.047
38. Sahoo J, Singh SV, Gupta VK, Garg S, Kishore J. Do socio-demographic factors still predict the choice of place of delivery: A cross-sectional study in rural North India. J Epidemiol Global Health. 2015;5(4):S27-S34.
Copyright (c) 2025 B.K.M.P Rodrigo, R.K.N.D. Darshani, K.G.C. Dissanayake
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
