Teenage pregnancy still a challenge for Zambia

Emmanuel Chansa, Provincial AIDS Co-ordinator Advisor, revealed during a meeting of the Provincial AIDS Task Force that 68 girls at Chipata’s Hillside Girls High School in Zambia fell pregnant in the last two months of 2011. All of them were below the age of 16.

An estimated 25% of the world’s population is made up of people between the ages of 10-24, most of whom live in the developing world, according to a World Health Organisation study from 2007.

In many parts of the developing world, adolescents face serious challenges associated with growing up. In sub-Saharan Africa, the combination of poverty and conflict further compound the situation. Some of the most central problems facing young people relate to sexuality and reproduction.

Reproductive health challenges facing young people in Zambia include low use of contraception. Ministry of Education policy does not allow distribution of condoms in lower institutions of learning. Sexual activity begins early and is often unprotected and is associated with risks such as HIV/AIDS, pregnancy and unsafe abortion, economic hardship and school drop-outs.

According to Unicef’s Progress for Children report from 2008, more than half of the mothers in sub-Saharan Africa give birth before the age of 20, compared with one third for Latin America and the Caribbean. The range of unplanned pregnancies among adolescent girls ranges from high to very high in some sub Saharan countries where up to 50% of adolescent mothers reported that their pregnancies were unplanned.

Adolescents face higher reproductive risks than older women. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 worldwide with complications of childbirth and unsafe abortion being the major risk factors.

Teenage girls who are not physically mature are at greater risk of obstructed labour, pregnancy-induced hypertension and obstetric fistula (the creation of a hole between the birth canal and anal area during prolonged labour).

Girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as those in their 20s. Death and injury rates are higher among infants born to young mothers who are less likely to get pre-natal care, and babies born to very young mothers are most likely to be premature or underweight.

The problem is compounded by a lack of clear government policies on adolescent reproductive health in many countries in the region. This creates uncertainty and hinders provision of information and services. Supportive policies are needed if countries in this region are to deal effectively with adolescent reproductive health and related issues.

While biological and socio-economic factors contribute significantly to early sexual activity and related consequences, socialization also plays an important role in shaping the attitudes of adolescents towards key aspects of reproductive health. It leads to stereotyping which in turn affects the planning and implementation of reproductive health, family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Young people must be provided with the information and skills that will enable them postpone their sexual debut.