Teenage pregnancy: a multiracial sociologic problem.
Teenage pregnancy is not an epidemic in the United States. Because this is an emotional topic that receives high-decibel publicity in the press and on television, we wish to present the most recent factual information available on the subject and a more balanced perspective of the problem for physicians and other health professionals who care for women at the youngest age of the reproductive spectrum. Pregnancy during adolescence is a multiethnic sociologic problem that crosses all socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, and geographic boundaries. Pregnancies in teenagers are decreasing (except in teenagers under age 15), not accelerating. New approaches for premature adolescent pregnancy and childbearing focus on adolescent peer pressure for behavior modification, prevention of pregnancy at a younger age, continuation of secondary education, and job training for both adolescent fathers and mothers.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D003267:Contraception; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States