Teenage Women (teenage + woman)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Support for teenage mothers: a qualitative study into the views of women about the support they received as teenage mothers

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2001
Ank De Jonge MSc HBOV RM RGNArticle first published online: 7 JUL 200
Support for teenage mothers: a qualitative study into the views of women about the support they received as teenage mothers Aim of the study.,To gain insight into the support teenage mothers received during pregnancy, birth and their child's pre-school years and young women's perceptions of the usefulness of a support group for teenage mothers. Background.,Most qualitative studies have focused on teenage mothers around the time of the birth of their first child. For this study, women were recruited several years after the birth (median 8·5 years), so that they would have had time to reflect on the support they had received. Design.,The qualitative method of semi-structured interviews was chosen to obtain in-depth information and to allow teenage mothers' own views to be heard. Ten individual interviews and one paired interview were undertaken. Findings.,Recruitment was difficult because taking part in research was not a priority for many of the women. The study confirmed the strong link between deprivation and teenage pregnancy found in other studies, and suggested that mental health problems in teenage mothers may be more difficult to detect. Teenage women need more information on mental health and on services available to them. The fear, expressed by some of the women in this study, of becoming different from other women in their social network should be considered by health workers when establishing intervention programmes. Conclusions.,Professional bodies of health workers should lobby government to provide a minimum standard of living and sufficient child-care to combat deprivation. Former teenage mothers should be involved in the recruitment, planning and implementation stages of research and interventions. Health professionals should be aware that mental health problems in teenage mothers may be particularly difficult to detect. Key community health workers or a support group may provide information on services, mental health and education facilities available that would benefit teenage mothers. A support group may also give emotional support. [source]


The development and pilot evaluation of a nutrition education intervention programme for pregnant teenage women (food for life)

JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2003
W. L. Wrieden
Abstract Background A healthy diet in pregnancy is important for both maternal and infant health but this may be difficult to achieve particularly for groups such as teenage pregnant women, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. To our knowledge this is the first report of a practical nutrition education programme for this group in the UK. Method An intervention was designed incorporating seven informal food preparation sessions, which allowed opportunities for discussion of nutritional, and other topics (e.g. food safety and well-being in pregnancy). Midwives in a community centre setting led the sessions. The acceptability of the package to participants and midwives was recorded and pre- and post-intervention data collected on sociodemographic details, dietary intake (using an eating-habits questionnaire and a 24-h dietary recall) and cooking skills. Results The midwives found the package easy to follow and use. The 16 (of the 120 invited) women who attended found the courses helpful but objective evaluation of dietary intake was not possible because of poor compliance. Conclusions The nutrition education programme was favourably received by midwives and the women who participated. However recruitment was problematic and alternative methods of delivering and evaluating such a package should be investigated. [source]


Birth outcomes for teenage women in New South Wales, 1998,2003

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
Stephen ROBSON
Abstract Background:, Pregnancy and childbirth in teenage women are associated with obstetric and social risks, and there is evidence that the birth rate among teenagers in rural and remote areas of Australia is not in decline. The combination of non-urban residence and young age at delivery might define a subgroup of women at special risk of adverse birth outcomes. Aims:, To compare birth outcomes of New South Wales (NSW) teenagers residing in rural and remote areas with those living in larger centres with greater access to services. Methods:, Outcomes for all singleton deliveries to teenage women living in NSW during the period 1998,2003 were reviewed. The women's place of residence was assigned an ARIA (Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia) classification according to remoteness and access to services. Analysis included obstetric factors (such as parity), and smoking status. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken to examine the impact of maternal factors on obstetric outcomes. Results:, During the study period, 21 880 teenage women had singleton deliveries. Babies of teenage mothers in very remote areas had higher rates of preterm birth, small-for-gestational age and stillbirth. Rates of smoking were higher in more remote areas, and smoking correlated with preterm birth and stillbirth. Conclusions:, Teenagers living in remote areas of NSW face a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes than their urban cousins. [source]


Balancing absolute and relative risk reduction in tobacco control policy: the example of antenatal smoking in Victoria, Australia

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2010
Nathan Grills
Abstract Objective: This descriptive epidemiological analysis aims to explore the benefits, risks and policy balance between a whole-of-population and high-risk reduction approach to reducing antenatal smoking prevalence. Methods: Using Victorian hospital antenatal statistics the rate-ratio for smoking in each hypothesised high prevalence group was calculated and combined with the absolute number of births in each high-risk group. The effect on smoking prevalence of whole-of-population reductions and high-risk group reductions was then modelled. Results: In Victoria, there were higher rates of antenatal smoking among single [RR = 4.67 (3.46,4.42)], teenage women [RR (95%CI) = 3.26 (3.00,3.54)] of indigenous ethnicity [RR = 4.39 (3.94, 4.88)] with low income [RR = 4.67 (4.17,5.22)] and low education attainment [RR = 3.89 (3.47,4.36)] who lived in less accessible areas [RR = 2.14 (1.92,2.39)]. However, as each of these high-risk groups represents a relatively small proportion of mothers, most antenatal smokers are aged 25,34, educated, city-based, non-Indigenous and non-impoverished. Conclusions: The majority of Victorian women who smoke in pregnancy do not belong to traditional high-risk groups. Implications: Absolute reductions in smoking prevalence in high-risk groups can potentially be achieved by whole-of-population prevalence reductions, despite a potential continuance in high relative risk among these groups. Conversely, an exclusive focus on smoking reduction in high-risk groups may fail to reduce the whole-of-population antenatal smoking prevalence. [source]