RESOURCES:Reducing adverse effects of teen pregnancy

Read "Preventing and reducing the adverse effects of unintended teenage pregnancy" here

The paper concludes with the following summary of the implications for health services
"Because of the complex range of individual, social and economic factors, multi-faceted approaches involving local people, education, health, and social services are important. The challenge is to combine a strategic approach without losing the genuine commitment of participating staff. The requirement for local authorities to take into account related activities of other agencies when developing ‘children’s service plans’ may assist a more integrated approach. The use of the Children Act may also help release resources for children at risk.
• General anti-poverty strategies are likely to influence rates of teenage pregnancies and help reduce adverse outcomes. Also specific interventions including the provision of supplementary nutrition, social support, education opportunities and preschool education, are likely to be effective. In addition, improving the housing conditions of some teenage parents and their children may be important.

Education
• School-based sex education plays an important role in the prevention of teenage pregnancy, and is most effective when linked with contraceptive services and skills building. Young people’s perceived barriers to using services might be overcome through clinic staff or GP visits to schools and youth settings, or through school visits to the contraceptive service.
• Within health care settings, education programmes targeted at young women presenting for emergency contraception or with negative pregnancy tests may improve effective contraceptive use.
• Inter-agency collaboration might include the development ofprevention programmes targeted at young people at increased risk of pregnancy such as school non-attenders, ‘looked after’ or runaway teenagers who are hard to access. Specific interventions might include education programmes in hostels or counselling in a health care setting which would require collaboration between statutory and non-statutory agencies such as Barnardos, and the YMCA.
• Parenting skills programmes or support to continue formal education should be developed.
• Early education programmes of good quality which can improve longer-term outcomes for disadvantaged children should be developed.
Contraceptive services
• Contraceptive services should be developed in the light of an assessment of the needs of the community it serves. Needs assessment should consider local demographic details, the location of current services, and data on service utilisation. It should also take into account the views of parents, teachers and health professionals, and be carried out in collaboration with health, education and social
services.
• There is insufficient reliable research on which to base standards for auditing contraceptive services at a district level.
• Contraceptive service providers should ensure and publicise easy access (e.g. outside school hours and at weekends) and confidentiality for young people, following the guidance issued by the BMA and other organisations.
• Hormonal emergency contraception should be made more easily available. General Practices, for example, could advertise to their practice population and help reduce anxiety about its use and repeat use.
Antenatal care and social support
• Specialised antenatal care programmes for pregnant teenagers involving, for example, GPs, district nurses, health visitors and social workers are likely to improve health outcomes.
• Health visitors and social workers should consider providing targeted support for teenagers and their families during and after pregnancy. Programmes involving home visits and support from other young mothers may also be beneficial.
• Home-based parenting schemes for teenagers who may be reluctant to attend clinics may be helpful.
Implications for research
• A co-ordinated programme of rigorous research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the different approaches to contraceptive service delivery in reducing unintended pregnancy among young people.
• Research is also needed to evaluate the long term effects of social support programmes on the social, health and educational outcomes of both mother and child. This should also consider programmes of support for pregnant or parenting teens to continue formal education.
• More information on protective factors, which reduce risk of pregnancy, may be obtainable at relatively low cost by secondary analysis of existing cohort studies combined with qualitative studies."

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Finalist in British Female Inventor of the Year April 2003 Finalist in National Business Awards Entrepreneur Category 2003 A BFIY's Top 10 Woman Inventor and Innovator 2005 Finalist in 2005 E-Commerce ICT Innovators Awards- Health Category (DTI Interforum) Winner of 2006 Exceptional Exporter Award (UKTI, Chamberlink, Salford City Council)