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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

The prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

Adolescent pregnancy is best prevented. Prevention, however, is problematic, because adolescents become biologically mature at an earlier age today than in past generations. Most adolescents are still psychologically immature when they initiate sexual activity. Delayed initiation of sexual activity during adolescence, therefore, is the ideal solution. Physicians are an important resource in encouraging responsible sexual behavior and preventing adolescent pregnancy and in guiding the patient and her family when adolescent pregnancy does occur. Physicians can provide age-appropriate contraceptive services and adolescent prenatal and postpartum services. They can also participate actively in community-based sex and family life educational programs as knowledgeable and respected sources of information and guidance.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emergency contraception for prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant problem in the United States today, despite availability of effective contraceptive methods. Not all sexually active adolescents use contraception, and even those who do use contraception sometimes use it incorrectly. Emergency contraception, which refers to methods of pregnancy prevention used after unprotected intercourse, has the potential to prevent most unplanned adolescent pregnancies. Emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) containing estrogen and progestin or progestin alone are more than 75% effective when the first dose is taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex and the second dose is taken 12 hours later. However, barriers to accessing ECPs include lack of knowledge of the method, fear of loss of privacy, difficulties in finding a provider, and cost. Another barrier is that controversy exists about the mechanisms of action of emergency contraception about its role in pregnancy prevention. As a result, some nurses are not comfortable with suggesting emergency contraception to their patients. Nurses can play a critical role in providing ECPs to adolescents by developing programs to streamline distribution of ECPs, while maintaining adolescent privacy. Other essential roles for nurses include providing education about ECPs to parents, other healthcare providers and community members, and advocating for political and legal changes that will ease restrictions on ECP distribution. Nurses who are personally uncomfortable discussing emergency contraception can refer their patients to other providers for information and access to this method.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Intensive care in adolescent pregnancy.

Adolescent pregnancy has long been considered high risk perinatally. It is also a symptom of social disorder. Older studies provided ominous portents of increased risk of toxemia, prematurity, anemia, cephalopelvic disproportion, and perinatal wastage. Studies during the past decade have shown more encouraging data, especially when representing a concerted effort toward this age group. The first 2 years of an intensive and individual approach to gravidas under age 17 are discussed. A total of 135 young women were studied and compared with 100 controls of similar age, treated routinely, and with 100 women of more nearly ideal childbearing age. Perinatal and social data are shown. The implications of the data are discussed in light of other studies. Few, if any, medical differences between the two groups of adolescents and the older women are noted. More important are the social and emotional factors in determining future difficulties.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Mental health and pregnancy in adolescence. Pregnancy context and early biographical consequences].

BACKGROUND: Pregnant adolescents have a higher risk of complications of pregnancy and labor. There is also a higher risk of child abuse and neglect among this age group. AIM: To study the psychological and social context, biographical impact and the prevalence of mental disorders among pregnant teenagers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A semi structured clinical interview was applied to 60 pregnant or puerperal adolescents, aged 12 to 18 years old, assisting to maternal outpatient clinics in the Western District of Santiago. RESULTS: An 18% prevalence of mental disorders was found in these girls. Five percent had emotional problems as a reaction to the pregnancy. The most important psychological and social factors associated to pregnancy were a low educational level, economic dependence and a precocious and unprotected sexual life. Fifty seven percent of pregnancies were accidental, due to inadequate use for contraceptive methods or unforeseen sexual intercourse in the context of an informal or unstable couple. Those girls that planned becoming pregnant had better quality couples, higher maternal responsibility and a better biographical repercussion of their pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of psychological and social disorders among pregnant adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

A critique of community-based primary prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

In summary, adolescent pregnancy is a major public health problem. Although the magnitude of mortality is low, the magnitude of morbidity is enormous. Even though adolescent pregnancy rates have not increased in recent years, these rates remain high. The economic and psychosocial costs of adolescent pregnancy are staggering. Admittedly, adolescent pregnancy does not fit a conventional infectious disease model of an easily transmitted disease with a high potential for rapid spread. However, it is possible that role identification and behavior modeling could influence the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy in susceptible adolescents. Moreover, for many years public health authorities have acknowledged the critical significance of noninfectious causes of unnecessary mortality and morbidity. Very importantly, adolescent pregnancy is preventable. I agree strongly with Dr. Norr that the nursing profession is ideally suited to take a leadership role in community-based adolescent pregnancy prevention. Dr. Norr has stressed the important role of nurses in family planning clinics, school health, and nursing education. I would like to stress the important role of nurses in two additional specialty settings. First, I believe nurse researchers can make tremendous contributions to better characterize the distribution, determinants, and effective prevention of adolescent pregnancy. Second, because of their appreciation of community needs and their knowledge of community resources, I believe nurses in public health departments may be in the very best position to take a leadership role in community-based prevention of pregnancy among adolescents. In closing, I commend Dr. Norr on her thoughtful review. The need to initiate and augment community action to prevent adolescent pregnancy is compelling.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Information on a shoestring: a practical database at an adolescent pregnancy program.

Adolescent pregnancy programs provide services to a socially high risk population with complex and continuing needs. Data describing the characteristics of the patient population is useful for directing program efforts, examining program outcomes, and documenting the need for additional services. The Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program has developed a simple, inexpensive data collection system in which demographic, social and reproductive information is routinely collected on all program patients. Such a system could be of use to other adolescent maternity programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Association of parental characteristics with adverse outcomes of adolescent pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: It is well-known that pregnancy in adolescence has an increased risk of adverse reproductive outcomes. It remains unclear whether this association is due mainly to the unfavourable sociodemographic status or due solely to biological immaturity of pregnant adolescents. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the association of parental sociodemographic characteristics with the adverse outcomes of adolescent pregnancy. METHOD: Data from certificates of live births in Taichung County, Taiwan in 1994 of 7994 singleton, first-born babies whose mothers were 15-34 years of age were analysed. The relative risk of having adverse pregnancy outcomes for adolescent subgroups was obtained as compared with that among mothers 20-34 years of age with the same characteristics. The adjusted relative risk of having adverse pregnancy outcomes for each covariate was calculated by a multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 7994 babies born to mothers of 15-34 years of age, 8.3% were born to adolescent mothers. In all age groups, the younger adolescent mothers (15-17 years of age) had the highest percentage of both infants with low birth weight (10.6%) and preterm births (7.1 %). Younger adolescent mothers in almost all sociodemographic categories had higher risks of having both low-birth-weight and preterm births than those of older adolescent mothers. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a younger maternal age is the only significant risk factor for having infants with low birth weight (adjusted RR = 2.5, 95% Cl 1.8-4.5 and adjusted RR = 1.7, 95% Cl 1.2-2.6 for younger and older adolescent mothers, respectively) or preterm birth (adjusted RR = 1.9, 95% Cl 1.1-3.4 and adjusted RR = 1.5, 95% Cl 1.0-2.3 for younger and older adolescent mothers, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent pregnancy carries an increased risk of having low-birth-weight and preterm births, and a younger maternal age is causally implicated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Family risk factors associated with adolescent pregnancy: study of a group of adolescent girls and their families in Ecuador.

PURPOSE: To identify characteristics within the family that were associated with adolescent pregnancy in a group of adolescent girls in Quito, Ecuador. METHODS: Of 135 female adolescents (12-19 years of age), 47 were pregnant and seen at the adolescent prenatal care clinic at an inner city hospital in Quito, and 88 were students from schools located within the same geographic area. Family variables were compared for pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents using chi-square, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance. RESULTS: More nonpregnant adolescents lived with their biological parents when compared with their pregnant peers (p < .002). Pregnant adolescents reported lower mother-daughter and father-daughter communication (p < .02), lesser life satisfaction and happiness in general, and more school and economic difficulties (p < .001). They were less likely to find support for their problems in or outside the family (p < .0001) and showed higher levels of depression and sexual abuse than their nonpregnant peers (68.8% vs. 34.5%, and 14.9% vs. 4.5%, respectively). Nonpregnant adolescents showed higher school performance and expectations regarding school achievement and future perspectives (p < .001). Values such as respect for others and religiosity were higher among nonpregnant adolescents (p < .0001). Parental education was lower in the families of pregnant adolescents (p < .05). Among nonpregnant adolescents, both parents worked outside the home (p < .006), whereas mothers of pregnant adolescents usually stayed at home. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that parental separation or divorce, and poor parent-daughter communication were associated with adolescent pregnancy. Families of nonpregnant adolescents had a higher educational level, and both parents worked to provide financial support to the family in an environment where family authority is shared by both parents. There were also better problem-solving strategies and parent-daughter communication, higher levels of cohesion, connectedness, and life satisfaction in general, and higher future expectations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Trends in adolescent pregnancies.

Pregnancies in adolescents aged under 17 years constitute about 1.3% of all births in Queensland. A study of 189 adolescent pregnancies at the Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane in 1977-1979 showed adequate antenatal care, and antenatal complications similar to those of a control group. There were greater incidences of unplanned Caesarean section, postpartum haemorrhage and puerperal infection. The major difference in the adolescent group was a perinatal mortality more than double that for the overall hospital population. The role of inadequate education in reproduction in the genesis of many adolescent pregnancies is stressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Obstetric outcomes of adolescent pregnancies in Turkey.

Pregnancy in adolescence has been and continues to be a problem in public health. The purpose of this study was to investigate obstetric outcomes of adolescent pregnancies in Samsun, Turkey. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1 and December 31, 2004, at 3 hospitals in Samsun, Turkey. Of the 10,100 women who gave birth during this period, 357 (3.5%) were 18 years of age or younger; these patients were included in the study. Participants with a history of any chronic disease were excluded. Data were provided as median values (min- max) and percentages. In this study, the rate of birth for females 18 years or younger was found to be 35 per 1000. The median age of participants was 18 (14-18) years. The prevalence of cesarean section was calculated at 55.7%. Prevalences of low-birthweight infants, preterm delivery, and eclampsia/preeclampsia were recorded as 44 (12.3%), 34 (9.5%), and 30 (8.4%) cases, respectively. Although the stillbirth rate was determined to be 1.7%, no congenital deformity was noted in infants, and none of the mothers died. The cephalopelvic disproportion rate was 5.9%, and only 2 adolescents experienced abruptio placentae. To reduce the occurrence of adolescent childbearing, pregnancy intentions must be assessed in multiple ways. Information/education may provide benefit to those female adolescents with inconsistent pregnancy intentions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Nutrient partitioning during adolescent pregnancy.

Human adolescent mothers have an increased risk of delivering low birth weight and premature infants with high mortality rates within the first year of life. Studies using a highly controlled adolescent sheep paradigm demonstrate that, in young growing females, the hierarchy of nutrient partitioning during pregnancy is altered to promote growth of the maternal body at the expense of the gradually evolving nutrient requirements of the gravid uterus and mammary gland. Thus, overnourishing adolescent dams throughout pregnancy results in a major restriction in placental mass, and leads to a significant decrease in birth weight relative to adolescent dams receiving a moderate nutrient intake. High maternal intakes are also associated with increased rates of spontaneous abortion in late gestation and, for ewes delivering live young, with a reduction in the duration of gestation and in the quality and quantity of colostrum accumulated prenatally. As the adolescent dams are of equivalent age at the time of conception, these studies indicate that nutritional status during pregnancy rather than biological immaturity predisposes the rapidly growing adolescents to adverse pregnancy outcome. Nutrient partitioning between the maternal body and gravid uterus is putatively orchestrated by a number of endocrine hormones and, in this review, the roles of both maternal and placental hormones in the regulation of placental and fetal growth in this intriguing adolescent paradigm are discussed. Impaired placental growth, particularly of the fetal component of the placenta, is the primary constraint to fetal growth during late gestation in the overnourished dams and nutritional switch-over studies indicate that high nutrient intakes during the second two-thirds of pregnancy are most detrimental to pregnancy outcome. In addition, it may be possible to alter the nutrient transport function of the growth-restricted placenta in that the imposition of a catabolic phase during the final third of pregnancy in previously rapidly growing dams results in a modest increase in lamb birth weight.

Adolescent↗