Teenage pregnancy: whose problem is it?

Background. The UK has the highest rates of teenage conception in Europe. T eenage conception has been identified in medical literature as a problem fo r society and teenagers. However, little attempt has been made to see it fr om the perspective of the teenagers themselves. Objective. To explore teenage women's attitudes to sexual health, contracep tion and pregnancy. Methods. Ethnographic qualitative study based on in-depth interviews and pa rticipant observation. The study took place in young mothers' groups, young persons' clinics and general practices in Bristol. Subjects were 34 young women between the ages of 16 and 20, sampled purposefully in two groups to include young mothers and never-pregnant young women from advantaged and di sadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Results. The two groups did not differ in their use of contraception at fir st intercourse. Young women from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrou nds felt that motherhood would not be acceptable to them, but were more tol erant to others who became young mothers. The pregnant/young mothers reveal ed more difficulties getting access to reliable contraceptive services, and dissatisfaction with sex education in schools. The pregnant/young mothers found abortion to be less acceptable than the more socially advantaged grou p. Both groups reported sexual behaviour that involved risks of becoming pr egnant, but the more socially advantaged group were more likely to use emer gency contraception. Conclusions. The study demonstrates the importance of taking the views of y oung people into account when planning both sex education and the provision of contraceptive services.