No description available.

This study was an examination of an intervention called the baby think it over doll in a small sample of teenagers. The study attempted to ascertain the impact of the doll on attitudes and beliefs surrounding early parenthood and a teen's future hopes.

Background Teenage pregnancy is a public and global health concern that remains a substantial challenge in Low-income countries, particularly the densely populated countries, including Rwanda. The factors that contribute to teenage pregnancies are broad, with the most common are socioeconomic factors. The study aims to investigate the association of socioeconomic, demographic factors of teenagepregnancy in Rwanda. Methods This study uses a cross-sectional study of Demographic and Health Survey data from the national Representative of Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey done between 2014 and 2015. Our study Analysis used a weighted data sample of adolescents aged 19-24 years. Bivariate descriptive and logistic regression was used to examine the associated factors of Teenage Pregnancy. Results Descriptive bivariate analysis exhibit place of residence, wealth index and education attainment variables are statistically significant. Multivariate analysis found positive association with teenage pregnancy after adding all variables to control potential confounders in bivariate logistic regression. For example, education attainment (no education and primary); Religion (Protestant and Adventist); wealth index (poor and middle) teenager’s women and girls who lived in the eastern region were associated with pregnancy among women who were Below 20 years old. Conclusion There is a substantial increase in teenage pregnancy in Rwanda. The study results demonstrate that potential factors (economic status and education attainment) are more likely to correlate to teenage pregnancy in Rwanda. Socioeconomic and demographics factors should be strongly considered when designing policies to address teenage pregnancy in Rwanda. / <p>Thesis presentation of Socio-economic factors associated with teenage pregnancy in Rwanda: A secondary analysisof Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey data from 2014-2015 by Kalisa Francois</p>

The education of girls is hampered by many challenges among them teenage pregnancy. The Zambian government introduced the re-entry policy in 1997 to allow girls that get pregnant to return to school and complete their education. Even after the policy was introduced, many girls that get pregnant fail to return after their maternity leave. Therefore, this study investigated how the re-entry policy is implemented in Zambian secondary schools in Monze District using a qualitative-interpretivist-case approach. Hence data was collected using semi-structured interviews, field notes and document analysis to understand the implementation process through the eyes of the purposively selected Ministry of Education (MOE) officials, head teachers, teachers, teenage mothers, learners and parents. The collected data was coded sing a computer software Nvivo and analysed using thematic analysis. The research findings show the nature of current school re-entry policy implementation, opportunities through the re-entry policy, Weaknesses of the re-entry policy, challenges faced by teenage mothers and the existing support systems in place for teenage mothers. A framework for the effective implementation of the re-entry policy in schools was designed. The study findings on re-entry policy implementation for teenage mothers concluded that, more remains to be done in terms of its implementation by various stakeholders. The re-entry policy is not well implemented as there are no re-entry policy guidelines in schools, lack of clarity on the guidelines compelling stakeholders to implement it their own way. Nonetheless, the findings show that the re-entry policy had notable achievements such as the re-admission and completion of teenage mothers’ education, awareness of the re-entry policy, strengthening of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools and collaborations between schools and civil society organisations (CSOs) and other government departments. The recommendations include: Government to ensure that the development of policies and implementation is inclusive and sustainable. School implementers should be given orientation on the implementation of re-entry policy; strengthening the re-entry policy and other supporting policies and laws that can promote gender equality and inclusion to enhance educational opportunities; CSOs, department of social welfare ties and parental and pupil support should continue collaborating to promote the education of the vulnerable that include teenage mothers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Refer to document

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The aim of the current study was to investigate the way teen pregnancy is portrayed in Seasons 1 and 2 of the television drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Framing theory and social cognitive theory were used as guiding frameworks for exploring the way the main character’s pregnancy was presented and the way this presentation may influence the ideas and behaviors of viewers. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine portrayals in the first 23 episodes. Results indicated that teen pregnancy was portrayed in five major ways: as Dramatic, as Identity, as Manageable, as Transformative, and as Serious. Overall, the findings suggest that teen pregnancy was presented in ways that encourage viewers to perceive this issue as positive and negative, with clearly positive outcomes.

The policy to reduce teenage pregnancy in England has been used as a case study to explore health policy sustainability. Between 2010 and 2015 many areas across England sustained and improved their conception rate reductions following implementation of the 2000-2010 national Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. Little is known of the factors underpinning these successes in the policy context beyond 2010. This thesis investigates sustained and improved reductions in teenage pregnancy in local authority areas post 2010. The broader political and economic context in which policy is shaped is examined, and the influence of New Public Managerialism considered. The findings suggest three overarching themes which impact on policy sustainability: leadership; understanding the issue; and resources. The thesis develops a seven elements framework, identifying factors to be analysed for policy sustainability. The thesis makes a unique contribution to the understanding of teenage pregnancy policy, providing a detailed review of local actions post 2010. It further adds to the body of knowledge regarding policy sustainability with the development of the seven elements framework. In addition, the thesis is presented at a notable point in history, as the global Covid-19 pandemic takes hold across the world. This situation is considered in the light of insights from the thesis and implications for the policy context into the future are contemplated.

Teenage childbearing is considered a societal ill, despite the evidence failing to demonstrate a causative link between teenage childbearing and negative consequences for teens or their children. This thesis argues that the strongly held assertion that teenage childbearing is detrimental to teens and society is rooted in racist eugenics theories and histories of reproductive coercion. Today, social scientists, health care providers, and public health professionals develop and celebrate programs that reduce rates of teen pregnancy, particularly programs that provide Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) to teens in marginalized communities. While these efforts are well-intentioned, they fail to recognize their perpetuation of histories of reproductive coercion of young women of color. This paper recommends ways in which the medical community can be better informed and respect reproductive autonomy in caring for teens from marginalized communities. / Urban Bioethics

Over the last 20 years, adolescent health researchers, practitioners and advocates have zeroed-in on the global problem of ‘child marriage.’ Defined as a formal or informal marital union before 18 years, child marriage affects both boys and girls, but disproportionally affects girls. Globally, child marriage is noticeably prevalent but on a downward trend, with the proportion of 20-24 year old women marrying before 18 years decreasing from 25% to 19%, from 2008 to 2020 (UNICEF, 2018; 2022). Extensive research has shown the adverse consequences of marrying during adolescence, ranging from increased risk of maternal mortality and birth complications, intimate partner violence (IPV), adverse mental health and intergenerational poverty outcomes (Burgess et al., 2022; Clark, 2004; Nour, 2009; Otoo-Oyortey & Pobi, 2003; UNICEF, 2018). From a rights perspective, child marriage is considered a violation of girls’ and boys’ ‘right’ to fully consent into marriage before reaching age of majority, internationally recognized as 18 years of age (Bruce, 2003; Nour, 2009). As such, child marriage is recognized as a human rights violation under several international treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The term ‘child marriage’ is commonly used to convey the human rights violations that early marital practices have for under-age girls and boys. While the term ‘child marriage’ has mobilized consensus and solidarity toward the issue, this terminology also homogenizes the issue of marriage as a problem affecting the ‘girl child’ with little to no agency in the marriage decision-making process. More specific to Uganda, this ‘child marriage’ terminology can be problematic where marriage more commonly occurs during middle to late adolescence (15-19 years) and when adolescents may exert varying degrees of agency and consent in the marital decision-making process. Except for Chapter 1 which explores ‘child marriage’ global and national movements, I intentionally use the terminology ‘adolescent marriage’ (as marriage before age 18), rather than ‘child marriage,’ throughout this dissertation. Despite the global push to ‘end child marriage’ over the last decade, there is limited research about how broader social and structural factors may be driving declines in adolescent marriage (Muthengi et al., 2021; Plesons et al., 2021). In particular, we have a limited understanding about how global efforts, social processes and norms might work together to drive marriage declines among adolescents. Through a mix of policy, quantitative and qualitative methods, this dissertation examines the policy, structural and social mechanisms that have contributed to declining adolescent marriage among adolescent girls in the context of southcentral Uganda. Chapter 1 begins with a broader contextual lens, examining the political evolution of the global ‘child marriage’ movement, and how the ‘problem’ of child marriage was then taken-up by government and civil society actors in Uganda. This chapter is informed by 20 key informant interviews with Ugandan and global stakeholders working on child marriage and a desk review of over 130 documents gathered across four years. This chapter highlights how the global ‘child marriage’ movement marked a political shift in adolescent girl funding, repackaging the issue of early marriage as an issue of ‘child protection.' The focus on child protection, rather than adolescent sexuality, was instrumental in mobilizing attention from liberal and conservative funders in the Global North and policy-makers in the Global South. In the priority country of Uganda, multiple factors influenced the national policy uptake of child marriage, including: 1. Regional campaigns that created consensus among Eastern and Southern African country leadership to address child marriage; 2. The availability of national data that showed the reach and severity of child marriage within Uganda; 3. The cultural and political appeal of child marriage as an issue of ‘child rights’, rather than one of ‘sexuality,’ and; 4. A network of government leaders, academics, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) who coalesced behind the issue in Uganda. Chapter 2 focuses-in on the southcentral region of Uganda, leveraging close to 20 years of quantitative data to understand how social and structural factors are affecting adolescent marriage declines in the region. Using data from 13 surveys (1999-2018) of the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS), I couple decomposition and causal inference methods to assess how social determinants and adolescent pregnancies have contributed to adolescent marriage declines among 15 to 17 year old girls. I find that both marriages and pregnancies among adolescent girls substantially declined over the last 20 years, from 24% to 6%, and 28% to 8%, respectively, between 1999 and 2018, as a result of educational and economic improvements. Among all social determinants, girls’ secondary schooling was more closely associated with lower risk of marriage and pregnancy (aOR marriage = 0.09; 95%CI=0.07, 0.12; aOR pregnancy = 0.14; 95% CI=0.11; 0.19). In the causal mediation analyses, lower pregnancy rates partially explained the positive effect of higher secondary schooling on lower risk of adolescent marriage. Decomposition analyses showed that the declines in adolescent marriage between 1999 to 2018 were primarily attributed to pregnancy declines, and to a lesser extent, improvements in education and SES. These findings reemphasize the sizeable role of education in preventing adolescent marriages, in line with Uganda’s national educational investments such as universal primary education (UPE). Yet, these findings also underline the importance of adolescent pregnancy prevention to delay age at marriage. In the same region of southcentral Uganda, Chapter 3 uses secondary ethnographic data to more deeply explore the social mechanisms and norms that have contributed to changes in adolescent marriages. I qualitatively explore how the region’s social and economic changes have affected social norms about adolescent sex, courtship, and marriage in Rakai, Uganda. This analysis is informed by 16 focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews conducted in 2018 with younger and older women and men, ranging from 16 to 77 years old. In comparing generational perspectives, I identify a ‘normative transition’, in which new structures are transforming courtship and marriage processes for young people. First, the HIV epidemic significantly weakened family structures, and in the process, courtship and marriage guidance previously provided by families and elders; second, the loss of land ownership in between generations has made marriage preparations more difficult for young people; and third, new social spaces outside the family home – including discos, mobile phones and schools - have expanded young people’s romantic geographies prior to marriage. These changes have reduced the importance of the family institution in the marital decision-making process, while increasing young women’s and men’s autonomy in engaging in premarital sex, choosing their partners, and delaying marriage. Although these changes have delayed age at marriage beyond adolescence, this transition has introduced unanticipated challenges for young people as they enter adulthood, including lack of overall parental, familial and elder guidance in their relationship and marriage formation processes. Taken together, these findings highlight the complexity of adolescent marriage changes and prevention efforts at the global, Ugandan, and southcentral region of Uganda. First, global and national ‘child marriage’ movements played a significant role in the uptake of child marriage as an issue of ‘child protection’, rather than one about ‘sexuality’ in Uganda. Yet looking at the context of southcentral Uganda, adolescent pregnancies and adolescent marriages declines appear to be closely linked, highlighting the importance of conceptualizing adolescent marriage as not just a child protection issue, but one of adolescent sex and sexuality. Lastly, I find that broader structural and social changes in Rakai have substantially changed adolescent norms around sex, courtship, and marriage, delaying age at marriage in between generations. However, young people are encountering new challenges as they enter adulthood and romantic relationships in the absence of pre-existing elder and familial systems and networks. Additional research should focus on understanding the unintended consequences of catalyzing norm change and delaying age at marriage, including how these changes might affect familial and community relationships and kinships. Twenty years into the global push to end ‘child marriage’, this dissertation research provides new insights into the complex structural, social and sexuality drivers of adolescent marriage changes in Uganda. Despite the substantial progress in adolescent marriage declines, this research points to key gaps that will need to be addressed to improve adolescent SRH rights and needs in Uganda, the East African region, and beyond. Of particular importance is the need to center adolescent sexuality within current child marriage efforts, as well as focusing on the broader social changes affecting adolescent relationship formation, rather than exclusively focusing on age at marriage as a marker of social change.