Nigerian study probes causes, consequences of teen pregnancies

Nearly 10% of adolescent or teenage girls become pregnant annually, making teen pregnancy a major concern worldwide. 

A study of the problem in the Nsukka area of Enugu state in Nigeria probed the causes and consequences of teen pregnancies. The study also looked at how to cope with the difficulties involved with the problem and preventative measures.

The research appears in the September issue of the Journal of Home Economics Research in an article by C.A. Chukwuone, K.M. Onuoha, and C.A. Ajogwu of the University of Nigeria in Nsukka.

The study was motivated by the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies in this university town, which the authors termed an "alarming trend." "Becoming prematurely pregnant is a serious cankerworm that has eaten deep in to the fabric of our societies in this contemporary period," they write.

One hundred and fifty pregnant girls, age 13 to 19, who used the services of a local government health center were interviewed through a 39-item questionnaire administered by health care workers at the clinic.

Study findings

The researchers describe the vulnerable period of transition out of childhood and the need for teenagers to have support in finding their sense or self or identity. 

"Teenage pregnancy is one of those life events that few families anticipate, and the effects of adolescent pregnancy reach well beyond the young mother's life, impacting the lives of other family members," they write.

The researchers identified 14 causes of teenage pregnancy, including high age difference in relationships (older man and younger girl), media influence, peer pressure, lack of parental guidance, lack of knowledge or inadequate knowledge about safe sex, sexual abuse or rape, teenage drinking, dating and gender violence and childhood environmental influence. 

The consequences of teenage pregnancy range from an increased risk of still birth throughout life, to babies who are more likely to have health problems because of poor nutrition, to social issues such as disgrace to the family and strained relationships because of scarce family resources. 

"Risks for complications are higher because their major organs have not developed fully," the researchers say about the teenagers.

How to cope 

The authors recommend several measures to cope with the problem, starting with encouraging the pregnant teen to get qualified medical and counseling care, keep appointments and eat well.

Parents and family are advised to contact the baby's father and his parents to discuss "shared responsibility," and keep lines of communication open. They also advise families to avoid being judgmental, listen to the teens and keep them in school. "Do not forget to celebrate the new life that is about to come into the world," they write.

For the larger community (government and nonprofit organizations), the researchers recommend helping teens to build a support group, providing stable funding for necessary educational and support services, and making sure there is adequate sex and family life education in secondary school.

The researchers' concluding recommendations are that teenagers "should be encouraged to abstain from sex activities to avoid unwanted pregnancies," and that parents should "give adequate sex education to prepare teenagers to face their teenage years."

The government role, the researchers write, should be to make sex education compulsory and to support teenage mothers to make sure that they don't drop out of school.