PROPOSAL ON TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Teenage pregnancy is one of the increasing situation prevailing in most countries in Ghana,

females represent 51.2 percent of the entire population of almost 25 million whereas

adolescents represents 22.4 percent of the total population. The rates of teenage

pregnancy in Ghana are high; of all births registered in the country in 2004, 30 percent were

by adolescents aged 14 percent of adolescent aged 15 and 19 years had begun childbearing

FACTORS

Many factors contribute to early pregnancy among adolescents that has serious

consequences for individuals, family, society and national development. some of these

factors are listed as follows,

 High level of poverty throughout communities

 Early marriage

 Gender discriminations base on historic unequal gender roles

 Lack of sexual and reproductive health education

 Lack of access to contraceptive use

 Discriminations against reproductive rights for young women, among others

Understanding both the individual and societal causes and effects of teenage

pregnancy is important to effectively reducing the high rates in Ghana.

REGIONAL ASSESMENT

Regional assessment of teenage pregnancy in Ghana shows that the Upper East, Volta,

Brong Ahafo, Central and Eastern regions here the highest regional rates of 14 percent and

above between 2012 and 2014.

Research indicates that of all these regions the Upper East Region has the highest national

prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy 15 percent. the Northern Region has the lowest

prevalence rate of 4.4 percent and is followed by Greater Accra with 6.6 percent.
Further analysis of the data between 2012 and 2014 indicate that Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo

regions had an increasing trend of teenage pregnancy rates over the last three years. It is

significant to also that no region has shown annual decreasing trend in the prevalence of

teenage pregnancy.

RESEARCH

Research shows that there is a direct link between levels of educations and the age of the

first sexual intercourse experience. The higher the educational level of the adolescent, the

less likely they are to engage in sexual intercourse at an early age.

OVERVIEW OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY

An overview of teenage pregnancy in Ghana including its causes and effects highlighted the

importance of understanding the context surrounding teenage pregnancy and the

implications and the concerns arising in Ghana.

Linkages to health, educational levels, wealth categories and the inter-generational transfer

of poverty, were made throughout the presentation.

INTERVENTIONS

Moving forward, governmental attention must be focused on information and services to

support young women through comprehensive sexuality. Education and re-integration

strategies for young others.

The Ghana health service has focused on education as its main strategy in addressing and

sexual and reproductive issues in Ghana and with service predominately focused on the

current needs for young unmarried women.

MAPPING OF PROGRAMMES

A mapping programmes of teenage pregnancy intervention programmes in Ghana was

presented detailing prevention strategies by various organisations.

Best practices from various countries such as programming in Nepal, India, the South African

Education Policy, were focused on to effectively reduce high teenage pregnancy rates in

Ghana

Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands were also examined as European countries that

focus their programming on strong prevention programmes and family planning service.

PROBLEM

Research has shown that no region has shown an annual decreasing trend in the prevalence

of teenage pregnancy. to address the high rates of teenage pregnancy in Ghana, the Ministry

of Gender, Children and Social protection convend a nationwide stakeholders meeting on

December 7,2015, to access the current level to conduct a situation analysis and to

strategise for sustained national sensitization.

The Hohoe Municipality has also recorded an increasing rate of teenage pregnancy and it is

in this that, it has sought to carry out a sensitization Gander ministering activities on teenage

pregnancy, the causes effects and way forward.

It is with these increasing rates of records of teenage pregnancy that the Hohoe Municipal

Assembly has decided to join with the national key strategies for sustained national

sensitization in addressing the menance. it sought to organise a sensitization programme to

effectively assess and as well address the situation.