The Preventing Of Teenage Pregnancy

The Pr withalting Of Teen eon PregnancyTeen sequence mformer(a)liness is a enclosure apply to address girls between the eons of 13-19 years who become pregnant (UNICEF, 2008).Teenage maternity and its resultant wellness issues argon of concern worldwide. In Ghana, for example, according Keller, Hilton Tsumasi-Ankrah (1999), ab tip over up 1/3 of the childbirths recorded in public hospitals occurred to wowork force less than 19 years of age. Meanwhile, Guttmacher (2012) reported that in The United States of America, 750,000 teen pregnancies occur yearly. wellness substances ar crucial in effecting behavioral qualifying of prevent commensurate factors on health (Mokdad et al 2004). This center is created in an attempt to influence change in behavior and can as well be used not only for changing adolescents knowledgeable health behaviours, but in addition for informing and educating a larger familiarity.This essay provide address the interest chosen medium, the rat ional for the message addressing political issues support its use, the underpinning health feeling model, bearings of evaluating the success of the health message, its impact on a wider population and, the influence of nurses, other health professionals and lay persons on health promotion regarding teen maternal type.According to Guttmacher (2012), 3,312 girls become pregnant every 24 hours. Also, in every 26 seconds a puerile girl becomes pregnant and a child is born to a teen mother every 56 seconds. It is therefore sensible to explore the extent of teenage pregnancy and its impact. De Vienne, Creveuil Dreyfus (2009), believes that 70,000 teenagers split yearly from obstetrical complications, and 1 million infants born to adolescent mothers ruin before their first year of life. Although the majority of teenage pregnancies occur in developing countries, single million babies argon born annually to teenage mothers in the developed world. According to (Adeyinka, Oladimeji, Adekanbi, 2010), in 2003 42/1000 births in the US were to adolescents. Furthermore, it has been reported that adolescents be at a higher hazard for adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia, congenital anomalies, uterine rupture and infant death than their older counter mappings (Phipps, Blume DeMonner, 2002).In view of the health problems the world is confronted with as a result of teenage pregnancy, this message is aimed at creating cognisance of the various causes and outcomes of teenage pregnancy. It as well aims at promoting healthy bring upual behaviours, to give the youthfulness the skill and knowledge they need to refuse sex, delaying the flak of sex and to use safer sex and to reduce the make sense of apprehensionions among adolescents (Kirby, 2007).The message testament also help debunk certain ideologies and myths about sex pedagogics such as those with regards to certain words or body part organism unmentionable and the taboo s of sex reproduction that influence the human sexuality negatively (Adepoju, 2005).Consequently, advances in communication strategies have changed how idiosyncratics access, assess, communicate and use information. egger et al (1999), declared that health promotions are motivational and informative messages say to one or more people. The idea of attaining improved health and a better quality of life needs tailoring our groomingal messages to the special group of people it is int polish offed for, taken into account the cultural practices of the community as such programmes involve community members who participate to define and exercise the problems (Denison et al, 2009)Cultural, apparitional and traditional issues influence sexual behaviours. Personally, in my area of practice culturally acceptable sex education is habituated using, local anaesthetic dialects in folk songs, radio drama and situation plays avoiding sexually explicit words. This way community values are respected as well as responded to. In recent years there has been a much stronger religious and political focus on the t severallying of sex sobriety in schools than in the past years (Butts Rich, 2008). This is to add to the existing knowledge that some religious group preach abstinence before marriage e.g. Islam and Catholics even preach against contraception hence telling the youth to abstain from sex (Citizens Budget Commission, 2012). Contrarily, some social customs induce girls to stay out of school and enter into early sexual relationship were girls are condition(p) away in marriage at puberty (Keller et al 1999). These observations considered a health promotion message using role play leave behind inform the adolescents on causes, complications and prevention, of teen pregnancy and motherhood in a non-judgmental approach.Role play therefore, is considered the appropriate medium as it focuses not on acting but on the actions of the characters. It helps in the process of decision qualification and clarifies judgments and behaviours and lastly it encourages looking beyond the self-importance and into another person in a close and more intimate manner than reading or lectures allows (Rowles and Russo, 2009). Role play is unscripted and a dramatic technique of message delivery that encourages people to improve behaviours that illustrate expected actions of persons in a defined situation (Lowenstein, 2007).In the delivery of such messages ethical issues could arise. Everyone needs to have equal access to care, thus the principle of justice must(prenominal) be considered and the nurse is to do good by providing the information and education they need but she has to seek consent from parents before she could go ahead. In developed nations parents can decide they dont want their wards to sit in for such programs according discussions by fellow students from the UK whereas from experience in Ghana one needs to just tell the head teacher when the nurse is coming. It is fundamental to recognise that in carrying out the principles of beneficence and non maleficence, the question go away be how much information is too much? Knowledge of when information given becomes unethical is important. Appropriate information must be presented in an age appropriate manner as there will be potence harm if a wrong and inappropriate message is chosen. An ethical plight will arise when a choice has to be made between standardised and acceptable programs that are available (Miller et al 2011) e.g. teaching abstinence as opposed to safer sex practice. Inappropriate programs for a particular age group could easily be misinterpreted and result in the adolescent being misled as she perceives the information differently from the way the educator intended for the message to be received (Miller et al 2011).Promoting the health and wellbeing of adolescents is a zippy part of every fraternity including health workers. Teenagers have been recognised to be a t high risk of health-damaging behaviours such as teenage pregnancy (Jacobson Pill, 1997).Similarly, Reeve (2002) in his study revealed that healthcare providers have the potential to tone young peoples awareness of appropriate sources of help and information, comprehensive sex education programs and advice on sexual health. He also reported that, the introduction of preventive services delivered by nurses, as well as trained teenage advisors or lay persons will be associated with an increase in the number of people attending for advice and contraceptives. Contrary to these assertions Thomson Scott (1991), criticised that sexual health education at school has little or no relationship to the real choices and pressures just about sexual health that affects the young women.Furthermore, Denison et al (2009), proposed that every agent of health care including lay persons/peers can partake in communicating the causes and personal effects of teen pregnancy by mobilising community memb ers to participate in role plays which will illustrate causes, complications and where to get help whether in the community or the hospital setup.According to MARIE STOPES INTERNATIONAL (2012), in 1998 in England, the pregnancy of girls under 18years conception rate fell by 13.3% over 5 years. There has also been a shift in societys views about how surmount to tackle problems like high teenage pregnancy rates and slimy sexual health amongst young people.Increasingly, from a personal perspective parents and professionals will recognise the need to offer teenagers with opportunities to talk about how they feel openly, skills and confidence they need to deal with the situations they face regarding sexuality. Also it will raise awareness in the community and at bailiwick levels which will in turn help them to strategise and tailor programs to help the youth to understand the way in which sex is, to help them know that relationships portrayed in the media are not always accurate and the appreciation of the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood. This includes supporting them delay early sex, fit out them to stay safe and healthy when they do become sexually active. Parents will play a more positive role in supporting their children on sex and relationship issues (Primarolo Merron, 2010). According to Sexual Offences Act (2003), in UK the age of consent for female and their male counterparts is 16 years. This means men who have sexual intercourse with girls below 16years of age will be prosecuted. Meanwhile there are such clear cut age ranges and laws in Ghana expect for rape cases. Also support from national and international agencies whitethorn include development of national training standards on relationships and sexual health to provide a constant framework for local workforce development (Primarolo Merron, 2010).The evaluation of sexual health promotion programs has to be SMART-Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reliable and Time bound (Haughey, 20 12).Assessments of sex education programmes can set forth from changes in knowledge, attitudes and values to those of behavioural change including initiation of sexual exertion and pregnancy rates (Fullerton, 2004). Arguably, initiation of sexual activity cannot easily be evaluated if the adolescent does not openly discuss it. Also clear statements given by students about the outcomes of unprotected sex and how those outcomes could be avoided at the end of the session (Vincent, Geiger, Willis, 1994).The aims of sex education are often motivational, relating to lifelong quality of relationships, as well as pregnancy and STI prevention (Fullerton, 2004).Moreover, studies have demonstrate that health decision making is a process in which the individual moves by dint of a series of stages or phases. Interactions with persons or events at each of these stages influence the individuals decisions and subsequent behaviour (Rosenstock, 2005).As a matter of fact, behavioural change is a d ifficult process which starts with enabling change in personal behaviours of individuals by giving them the knowledge to do so through education (Bellamy, 2004). The health belief model posits that people who perceive themselves as susceptible to negative outcomes are more likely to reduce hazardous behaviours than those who do not see themselves at risk (Janz Becker, 1984). The model postulates four-spot conditions that predict a health related behaviour perceive susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits and barriers (Janz Becker, 1984).Perceive susceptibility refers to ones perception of the likelihood of contracting a health disease or condition (Witte et al 1996) or neat pregnant in this case. It helps individuals to adapt to healthier lifestyles. The more the teenager perceives the outcomes of teenage pregnancy, the more they will try to avoid it.Witte et al (1996) again stated that perceived severity will be the teenagers belief about the implications of a health risk. The perception of severity is often based on the health information given or knowledge about the severity of a condition and difficulties it will create on general wellbeing. If she thinks of it as a serious issue she will try to avoid get pregnant.Also, the concept of perceived benefits is the teens judgments of the value of the action that will lessen the risk of getting pregnant. Usually, teenagers will practice healthier lifestyles when they believe a new behaviour will lessen their chances of getting pregnant and suffering the consequences (Janz Becker, 1984). This assertion of Janz Becker is not always the case as some will wait to be in that particular situation before they take action. On the other hand, as most teenagers dont change their lifestyles easily, perceived barriers are their own estimate of the difficulties in embracing a new behaviour. Amongst all the perceptions, perceived barriers are most important in defining behavioural change (Janz Beck er, 1984) because if they are able to overcome these barriers their behaviours will change.Cues to action are pieces of information which are given out with the intention of triggering decision-making actions. They could be internal or immaterial e.g. informational flyers, advertisements on television or internal symptoms of an illness (Witte, 1996). Lastly self efficacy, measures the degree of the reaction taken to prevent pregnancy and that they are able to perform the recommended reaction to avert the risk.Teen pregnancy and motherhood is a serious problem affecting adolescents which can causes health and social problems. With empowering the youth through education, teen pregnancies and its related problems can be prevented. From a personal view point, it will be acceptable to say that proven programmatic answers to this quandary are likely to be dissatisfactory. The point is not that sexuality education and contraception education cannot be helpful, but that without more help f rom the society at large, their impact may be small. On the contrary, an intervention that starts by affecting behaviour in a self-effacing way may ultimately generate changes in behaviours. Behaviour is contagious and teens, in particular, are extremely influenced by what their friends do or say. This suggests that programs are not to be judged on the basis of their immediate effects only but also on their peer culture reorientation potential.