Teenage pregnancy
The under-18 conception rate in the borough of Rochdale in 2021 was 17.9 per 1,000 females aged 15-17, which is above the Greater Manchester average of 16.9 (Office for National Statistics).
The impact of teenage pregnancy
Having a baby early in life can have an impact on a young adult's options. For some, this can have a positive effect but many teenagers find it extremely difficult to bring up a child. A lot of teenage pregnancies are unplanned with around half ending in abortion and a higher proportion of those that are carried to term involving worse outcomes compared to pregnancies of older mothers.
Health behaviours and outcomes in teenage pregnancies
Young mothers are more likely to smoke during pregnancy, have a higher rate of stillbirth and low birth weight babies and are less likely to breastfeed. They also suffer higher rates of poor mental health themselves after birth. Similarly, there is a higher infant mortality rate associated with births to teenage mothers as well as lower rates of development at 2–2.5 years.
Action to help young people to fulfil their potential
Supporting young people to develop safe, healthy relationships and prevent unplanned pregnancy is key to enabling them to fulfil their aspirations and potential. Lower teenage pregnancy rates are associated with an open culture and good parental communication on sexual issues. Effective local delivery is achieved by health, education, social care and safeguarding agencies working in partnership as part of a whole system approach.
Statistics on teenage pregnancy
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Teenage pregnancy collection - these 2 documents from Public Health England (PHE) show evidence-based frameworks that provide a structure for local areas to prevent unplanned teenage pregnancies and support young parents and their children.
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Sexual and reproductive health profile - the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles have been developed by OHID to support local authorities, public health leads and other interested parties to monitor the sexual and reproductive health of their population and the contribution of local public health-related systems.
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) - Teenage pregnancy and young parents report - this report brings together key data and information which will help to describe the demand, risk factors, provision and outcomes for teenage pregnancy and young parents in Rochdale.
Guidance on teenage pregnancy
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance - Reducing sexually transmitted infections - this guideline covers one to one interventions to prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and under-18 conceptions. The aim is to reduce the transmission of chlamydia and other STIs including HIV, and reduce the rate of pregnancies among teenagers aged under 18.