Abstract

ALVARADO, Ricardo et al. Pregnancy in adolescents as a problem to 14 - 19 year olds in Nocaima (Cundinamarca). Rev. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2007, vol.5, n.1, pp.40-52. ISSN 1692-7273.

Adolescent pregnancy is a current problem which raises concern due to its individual, familiar and collective consequences. Fifteen million adolescents give birth each year in the world. Abortion is the preferred option used in unwanted pregnancies. Adolescent pregnancy is frequent in Nocaima, Cundinamarca and is a community concern in this small town initiating its process of becoming a healthy municipality. As such, the community has highlighted this problem to be studied and submitted to intervention to promote a free and responsible sexuality decreasing unwanted adolescent pregnancies. Objective: To find data on contraception, pregnancy and related factors in selected adolescents therefore, improving current incomplete information. Methods: Descriptive observational study with survey application on 226 female 14 to 19 year old students from three high school facilities in Nocaima including 8th to 11th graders. Results: 88.9% of the participants were between 14 and 17 years of age. 66.8% of the adolescents claim to use correctly contraceptive methods and 28.8% have had sexual intercourse with an average initiation at age 15. 11.1% have been pregnant once in their lives and of these 57.1 % ended in induced abortion and 66.8% were school dropouts. Conclusions: After having implemented an educational campaign on healthy sex and reproductive behaviors we view adolescent pregnancy as a public health problem which is preventable and related to the deficit of social and family support as well as weakness in individual decision making.

Keywords : Adolescent pregnancy; sexual and reproductive education; contraception; abortion.

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