Teen Pregnancy - Research Proposal Example

Topic: How to address the problem of teenage pregnancy Lecturer presentation In developed economies, teenage pregnancy is one of the most challenging social, economic and health issue facing the youth. In spite of concerted efforts from the relevant stakeholders, incidents of teen pregnancy continue to persist in the society. According to Farber (2003, p 41) United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in all advanced economies and though it is declining steadily, there is need to sustain measures of dealing with the problem.

Kelly (2000, p 18) noted that the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the United States is higher in older teenagers of 18-19 years. This group has a prevalence rate of 8 % compared to 2.2% of 15-17 year old teenage girls. Ten to fourteen years old girls have the lowest rate of pregnancy in the United States of about 0.7 births per 1000 girls. Kelly (2000, p 27) Sociologists and health researchers attribute various factors to the high rate of teenage pregnancies. From the sociologists’ point of view, peer pressure, poverty, the environment in which children are brought up in addition to family structure as some of the major factors that have contributed to increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies (East & Felice 1996).

Farber (2003, p 69) noted that teenagers are most vulnerable group to succumb to influence from the media and fellow colleagues to engage in risky sexual behavior that often results to teenage pregnancies. Moreover, children brought up in poor and insecure environments are usually vulnerable to sexual abuse or lack of information about safe sex (Farber, 2003). Lack of adequate information about use contraceptives is another major factor that contributes to high rate of teenage pregnancy in developed countries.

A study conducted by East and Felice (1996 pp79-86) established that over 50% of pregnant teenage girls used some form of contraceptives. However, over 80% admitted that they did not have adequate information about their use and consequently they used them inconsistently or in the wrong manner. In order to address the issue of teenage pregnancies, it is important for parents, schools, healthcare providers, government, religious and social organizations to devise appropriate teen focused programs to empower teenagers on how to avoid early and unplanned pregnancies.

Teen focused programs should cater for teenagers in all a geographical areas and provide them with relevant information about sex and use of contraceptives. Equally important, these programs should address reproductive health issues of pregnant and teenage mothers by sensitizing them on the importance of prenatal and post natal care. In addition, teenage mothers should be provided with psychological and social support to enable them complete school and college so that they can secure better future prospects for their families.

To ensure that teenagers receive the information, curriculum on reproductive health should be compulsory in all learning institutions. Moreover, both electronic and print media should be used in disseminating information to teenagers and young people. Though use of contraceptives especially among teenagers presents ethical and moral issues, it is important for healthcare professionals to provide easy access to them. These solutions are appropriate because most teenage pregnancies occur due to lack of information and poor coordination among all the relevant stakeholders in the society.

In this regard, using the appropriate medium to reach the teenagers and disseminating relevant information to address their reproductive issues is the most pragmatic approach of addressing the problem of teenage pregnancy. References East, Patricia and Felice, Marianne. Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting : Findings from a Racially Diverse Sample: New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates and Publishers, 1996. Farber, Naomi. Adolescent Pregnancy: Policy and Prevention Services. New York: Springer Publishers, 2003.

Kelly, Deirdre. Pregnant With Meaning: Teen Mothers and the Politics of Inclusive Schooling. New York: Peter Lang Publishers, 2000.