Teenage Pregnancy: Whose Problem is It?

Background: The UK has the highest rates of teenage conception in Europe. Teenage conception has been identified in medical literature as a problem for society and teenagers. However, little attempt has been made to see it from the perspective of the teenagers themselves.

Objective: To explore teenage women's attitudes to sexual health, contraception and pregnancy.

Methods: Ethnographic qualitative study based on in-depth interviews and participant observation. The study took place in young mothers' groups, young persons' clinics and general practices in Bristol. Subjects were 34 young women between the ages of 16 and 20, sampled purposefully in two groups to include young mothers and never-pregnant young women from advantaged and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

Results: The two groups did not differ in their use of contraception at first intercourse. Young women from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds felt that motherhood would not be acceptable to them, but were more tolerant to others who became young mothers. The pregnant/ young mothers revealed more difficulties getting access to reliable contraceptive services, and dissatisfaction with sex education in schools. The pregnant/young mothers found abortion to be less acceptable than the more socially advantaged group. Both groups reported sexual behaviour that involved risks of becoming pregnant, but the more socially advantaged group were more likely to use emergency contraception.

Conclusions: The study demonstrates the importance of taking the views of young people into account when planning both sex education and the provision of contraceptive services.