Contraceptive use among Jamaican teenage mothers Uso de anticonceptivos por madres adolescentes jamaiquinas
Objective. To compare the prevalence of contraceptive use among teenage mothers who were participating, and teenage mothers who were not participating, in a program in Jamaica that had been established to deal with the country's serious problem of repeat pregnancies among adolescents. Methods....
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English Spanish Portuguese |
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Pan American Health Organization
2002
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| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/2b36bea772964068bbb0c12f53846d4b |
| Summary: | Objective. To compare the prevalence of contraceptive use among teenage mothers who were participating, and teenage mothers who were not participating, in a program in Jamaica that had been established to deal with the country's serious problem of repeat pregnancies among adolescents. Methods. A historical cohort design was used to assess the impact that the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) Programme for Adolescent Mothers had on contraceptive use among the target population of adolescents 16 years and under who had experienced a first live birth in 1994. Results. Contraceptive use at first intercourse was found to be higher among WCJF program participants (44%) than among nonparticipants (37%), but this difference was not significant (P = 0.35). Contraceptive use after first live birth was also higher among WCJF program participants (94%) than among nonparticipants (86%), and this difference was significant (P = 0.04). Contraceptive prevalence at last intercourse (in 1998) did not differ between participants and nonparticipants (both 69%). Conclusions. Contraceptive use among this population in Jamaica was highest when the respondents' perception of vulnerability to pregnancy was most acute, that is, after the first live birth. All adolescents, both males and females, need to be educated about the importance of sustained and effective use of contraception in order to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Objetivos. Comparar la prevalencia del uso de anticonceptivos entre madres adolescentes que estaban participando o no en un programa instaurado en Jamaica para abordar el grave problema que en este país representan los embarazos repetidos en adolescentes. Métodos. Se usó un diseño de cohorte histórica para evaluar el impacto del Programa para Madres Adolescentes del Centro de Mujeres de la Fundación Jamaica (The Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation: WCJF) sobre el uso de anticonceptivos en la población de adolescentes de 16 años o menos que habían tenido su primer ... |
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