Life as a league table bottom dweller: teenage pregnancy in Lambeth.
In mid-2004, the lead for tackling teenage pregnancy in Lambeth moved from the Council to Public Health in the coterminous Primary Care Trust. Lambeth is a deprived inner-city London borough with a culturally rich and diverse population. The under-18 teenage conception rate had risen by 19% over the 5-year period (1998-2003) following the launch of the National Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. There was considerable pressure from local and national agencies to reduce this high rate (then standing at twice the English average). This article describes how we attempted to do this.
Mohiddin
Abdu
A
Directorate of Public Health, Lambeth Primary Care Trust/London Borough of Lambeth, SE1 7NT, London, UK. abdu.mohiddin@lambethpct.nhs.uk
Cawley
Lucinda
L
Chow
Yimmy
Y
Wallis
Ruth
R
D000293:Adolescent; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012923:Social Class; D012935:Social Justice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019037:Urban Health Services