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Adolescent birth rate alarming in developing countries
New research by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence.
What you need to know:
- According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 12 million girls aged 15–19 and at least 777,000 girls under 15 give birth in developing regions yearly.
- Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15–19-year-olds globally.
New research by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence.
It further finds that after having their first child, additional childbearing in adolescence is common for child mothers. Nearly three quarters of girls who have their first births before their 15th birthday also have a second birth during their adolescence, while 40 per cent of those who have had their two births progress to a third before exiting adolescence.
While total fertility across the globe has fallen, the report shows that women who began childbearing in adolescence had almost five births by the time they reached 40 in 2015-19.
“When nearly a third of all women in developing countries are becoming mothers during adolescence, it is clear the world is failing adolescent girls. The repeat pregnancies we see among adolescent mothers are a glaring signpost that they desperately need sexual and reproductive health information and services,” said the UNFPA executive director, Dr Natalia Kanem.
Deaths and injuries
Complications during pregnancies and births are the leading cause of death and injury for adolescent girls. Being an adolescent mother can also lead to other grave violations of their human rights and serious social consequences, including child marriage, intimate partner violence and mental health issues.
But all is not lost. Across the globe, there are encouraging signs of declining levels of motherhood in childhood and adolescence, even though the pace has been alarmingly slow–often by only about three per cent per decade.
“Governments need to invest in adolescent girls and help expand their opportunities, resources and skill sets thereby helping avoid early and unintended pregnancies. When girls can meaningfully chart their own life course, motherhood in childhood will grow increasingly rare,” said Dr Kanem.
The report recommends to policymakers, among other measures, the need to provide girls with comprehensive sex education, mentorship, social support and quality health services. It also calls for economic support to families and involvement of local organisations—all within a supportive policy and legal framework that recognises the rights, capacities and needs of adolescents, particularly marginalised girls.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 12 million girls aged 15–19 and at least 777,000 girls under 15 give birth in developing regions yearly.
Abortion
Of the estimated 5.6 million abortions that occur yearly among adolescent girls aged 15–19, some 3.9 million are unsafe, contributing to maternal mortality, morbidity and lasting health problems.
Adolescent mothers (aged 10–19) face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, and systemic infection than women aged 20 to 24. Babies of adolescent mothers also face higher risks of low birth weight, preterm delivery and severe neonatal conditions.
A study published in 2018 by BMC Public Health journal, titled ‘Prevalence and determinants of adolescent pregnancy in Africa: a systematic review and Meta-analysis’, showed adolescent pregnancy is still rampant on the continent.
According to the study, the overall pooled prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in Africa was 18.8 per cent and 19.3 per cent in sub-Saharan African. The prevalence was highest in East Africa (21.5 per cent) and lowest in Northern Africa (9.2 per cent).
Factors associated with adolescent pregnancy include rural residence, not attending school, lack of maternal education and lack of parent-to-adolescent communication on sexual and reproductive health.
A total of 24 countries from East, West, Central, North and Southern African sub-regions were covered in the study.
Globally, about 15 per cent of young women give birth before their 18th birthday. Early childbearing, or pregnancy and delivery during adolescence, can derail girls’ otherwise healthy development into adulthood and have negative impacts on their education, livelihoods and health.
