Director of Public Health Annual Report 2011 - NHS North Somerset

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2011
Chapter 4
Teenage Pregnancy
What’s the problem?
Although young people can be very good
parents and we have many examples locally,
teenage parents and their children are more
likely to experience a range of negative
outcomes. These include a higher risk of
poverty; low self esteem; low levels of
educational attainment; social isolation;
depression; and poor physical, sexual and
mental health 17 . This is often an inter -
generational cycle, with children born to
teenage parents up to three times more likely
to become teenage parents themselves.
The rate of teenage pregnancy in North
Somerset has remained relatively low,
4
consistently within the bottom third in the
country, but has fluctuated greatly
throughout the ten year period (Figure 5).
Between 1998 and 2009 North Somerset
achieved a 2.5% reduction in teenage
pregnancies. This compares with an 18.1%
reduction in England.
Reflecting the national picture, the areas in
North Somerset with the highest number of
teenage pregnancies are those with higher
levels of poverty. These are predominately in
Weston-super-Mare, with a concentration in
Central and South Wards.
Figure 5 Under 18 conception rolling quarterly rates in North Somerset,
South West and England (1999 – 2010)
Source: Office of National Statistics (ONS) conception statistics.
17
Department of Health. Teenage Pregnancy research programme briefing. Long-term consequences of teenage
births for Parents and their Children. March 2004.
18