Teenage pregnancy on the rise
Cases of pregnancy among older adolescents (15 to 19 years) have gone up, statistics from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has revealed.
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Over the years, the cases have been higher among younger adolescents (10 to 14 years) while the increase in older adolescent pregnancy is not significant.
The Adolescent Reproductive Health Officer of the GHS, Mrs Rejoice Nutakor, however, noted that nationwide figures for 2011 had revealed a significant increase in cases among both age groups.
Ms Nutakor, who disclosed this to the Junior Graphic, expressed concern that the increase could mean that education on teenage pregnancy among young people had waned.
Quoting figures to buttress her point, she said among older adolescents, 101,526 cases, representing 12.2 per cent ,were recorded in 2007 as against 111,021, representing 12.1 per cent, in 2008 and in 2009, 108,826 cases, representing 12.2 per cent, were recorded.
From 112,807 cases recorded in 2010, (12.2 per cent), the figure increased as high as 123,987 (12.9 per cent), showing a difference of 11,180 cases.
Among younger adolescents, 1,616 (0.2 per cent); 2269 (0.2 per cent); 1694 (0.2 per cent); 2,425 (0.3 per cent) and 4,306 (0.4 per cent) cases were respectively recorded from 2007 to 2011.
“We need to do more to reach young people with information and education on reproductive health. Parents and the community should do more to help young people to understand these issues so they can make good choices,” Ms Nutakor stressed.
She said, “it is easier for young girls to acquire sexually transmitted infections because their reproductive tract is fragile,” so we need to encouraged them to delay starting sexual relations as long as they could, adding that they could freely contact the GHS for counselling.
Ms Nutakor asked health professionals to use community durbars and religious gatherings to educate young people on the dangers of teenage pregnancy because it affected them socially and economically.
Story: Augustina Tawiah