Has early initiation of sexual activity in adolescence had an impact on teenage childbearing in Trinidad and Tobago?
Published data indicate that young people are initiating sexual activity at an early age and many do not practice contraceptive methods, which should impact on adolescent fertility and births.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of sexual activity at an early age on adolescent childbearing in Trinidad and Tobago.


METHODS
Adolescents age 15-19 years.


METHODS
All maternity records from public health care institutions (primary and tertiary) under the Ministry of Health caring for women in pregnancy were reviewed. Maternal age at the time of birth in addition to several other variables were recorded and several indices were constructed to determine trends in adolescent fertility and births.


RESULTS
There was a steady decline in adolescent births especially from 1981 to 1990. reduced by approximately 50%. Adolescent fertility rates and the number of adolescents attending prenatal primary care clinics during the same period showed similar trends.


CONCLUSIONS
Analysis of adolescent fertility rate would suggest that initiating sexual activity at an early age together with low utilization of contraceptive practices should lead to its increases over time. However we found that there was both a decline in fertility rates as well as adolescent births.
Mungrue
Kameel
K
University of the West Indies, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Public Health & Primary Care Unit, EWMSC, Mt Hope, Trinidad. kmungrue@fms.uwi.tt
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago