Explain Various Risk Factors Or Precursors To Adolescent Pregnancy

Adolescent pregnancy is viewed as a high-risk situation due to the serious health risks that this creates for the mother, the baby, and society at large. Describe various risk factors or precursors to adolescent pregnancy. Research community and state resources devoted in adolescent pregnancy and describe at least two of these resources. Research the teen pregnancy rates for the last 10 years for your state and community. Has this rate increased or decreased? Discuss possible reasons for an increase or decrease.

An Adolescent person is on whose growth and maturity levels fall within the period between puberty and adulthood in human development, extending mainly over the teen years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached.
Adolescent pregnancy is a complex issue with many reasons for concern. Kids age 12 - 14 years old are more likely than other adolescents to have unplanned sexual intercourse. They are more likely to be talked into having sex without any form of protection. The younger the mother, the greater the risk to the baby. Newborns born to adolescent mothers are also more likely to have low birth weight, with the risk of long-term effects. Because most teenagers are not physically, emotionally, or financially ready to carry and care for a child, their babies tend to have low birth weight and are predisposed to a variety of illnesses. A teenage mother will need the full support of her family to live a healthy lifestyle for her and her baby. Vitamin deficiencies are more common, and the teenage mother's weight gain is likely to be inadequate. Since the teenage mother is still growing herself, she needs to eat properly not only for her own growth but for normal growth of the
Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school. However, recent studies have found that many of these mothers had already dropped out of school before becoming pregnant. The correlation between earlier childbearing and failure to complete high school reduces career opportunities for many young women. Also young motherhood in an advanced country can affect employment and social class. A small percentage of teenage mothers receive any form of child support, vastly increasing the likelihood of turning to the government for assistance. Poor academic performance in the children of teenage mothers has also been noted, with many of the children being held back a grade level, scoring lower on standardized tests, and/or failing to graduate from secondary school. Daughters born to adolescent parents are more likely to become teen mothers themselves. Sons born to teenage mothers are three times more likely to serve time in