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Second Edition of Teenage Reproductive Health: Pregnancy, Contraception, Unsafe Abortion, Fertility

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1.Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2 TT, UK
2. Instiute of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: reproductive health; post-abortion care; family planning; global health; global surgery; health system research; injuries; non-communicable diseases; multimorbidity; healthy ageing

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Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akershus University Hosptal, Sykehusveien 25, 1478 Nordbyhagen, Norway
Interests: obstetrics and gynecology; maternal and newborn health; reproductive health; quality of care; global health; health system research; community participation; e-health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Special Issue on “Teenage Reproductive Health: Pregnancy, Childbirth, Contraception, Unsafe Abortion, and Fertility” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The venue is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes articles and communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. For detailed information on the journal, we refer you to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph. 

Improving reproductive health for teenagers is an important objective for public health officials and health ministries globally. Reproductive health refers to the health of an individual’s reproductive system during all stages of life. However, teenagers, and, in particular, teenage women, are very likely to encounter reproductive health issues. Many lower- and middle-income countries have laws that restrict reproductive rights, resulting in limited access to contraception, abortions and being able to express sexual orientation and choose gender. This leads to serious consequences including contributing to high maternal mortality, morbidity and potentially the imprisonment and social exclusion of teenagers.

In this Special Issue, we wish to shed light on this important area in order to map the current situation, propose solutions and aim to influence politicians and policymakers. The listed keywords suggest just a few of the many possibilities.

Dr. Maria Lisa Odland
Dr. Andrea Solnes Miltenburg
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • reproductive health
  • family planning
  • contraception
  • unsafe abortions
  • post-abortion care
  • pregnancy
  • maternal mortality
  • adolescence
  • sexual orientation
  • gender
  • reproductive rights

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 325 KiB  
Article
Chasing the Youth Dividend in Nigeria, Malawi and South Africa: What Is the Role of Poverty in Determining the Health and Health Seeking Behaviour of Young Women?
by Sibusiso Mkwananzi and Ololade Julius Baruwa
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14189; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114189 - 30 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1777
Abstract
Africa’s new source of hope lies in harnessing Demographic Dividend, which may create a window of economic opportunity as fertility levels decrease if the correct policies and programmes are put in place. It has been shown that the health status of young people [...] Read more.
Africa’s new source of hope lies in harnessing Demographic Dividend, which may create a window of economic opportunity as fertility levels decrease if the correct policies and programmes are put in place. It has been shown that the health status of young people should be optimal for the realisation of the demographic dividend. This study examined the association between poverty and the health status and health seeking behaviour of young women (15–25), using the Demographic Health surveys of Nigeria 2013, Malawi 2015–2016, and South Africa 2015–2016. Interest variables were household and community-levels of poverty, while the outcomes were pregnancy and HIV testing and health services seeking. Results showed that in Malawi only household poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of pregnancy, while in South Africa household- and community-levels of poverty were associated with a higher likelihood of pregnancy. In Nigeria, household- and community-levels of poverty were not significantly linked to pregnancy but were associated with a lower likelihood of HIV testing and health seeking behaviour. The study shows empirical evidence of the construction of negative health outcomes in poor households and communities in Nigeria, Malawi, and South Africa. Therefore, if the demographic dividend is to be a reality in the near future, it is imperative to ensure that poverty-alleviation urgently occurs. Full article
6 pages, 271 KiB  
Article
Sexual History Documentation and Screening in Adolescent Females with Suicidal Ideation in the Emergency Department
by Tatyana Vayngortin, Katie Clark and Kathryn Hollenbach
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13018; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013018 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1569
Abstract
Adolescents with mental illness often seek care in the emergency department (ED) and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse and unprotected sex, increasing their risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI), unintended pregnancy, and non-consensual sex. This was [...] Read more.
Adolescents with mental illness often seek care in the emergency department (ED) and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse and unprotected sex, increasing their risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI), unintended pregnancy, and non-consensual sex. This was a retrospective study of 312 females, aged 13–17 years, presenting to the pediatric ED with the chief complaint of suicidal ideation from February to May 2018. Electronic medical records were reviewed for demographics, psychiatric history, sexual history, and testing for pregnancy or STI. The primary outcome was the documentation of the presence or absence of prior sexual activity. Secondary outcomes included documented aspects of sexual history and pregnancy or STI testing performed in the ED. Of the 312 eligible patients, 144 (46.2%) had a documented sexual history, and of those 50 (34.7%) reported being sexually active. Sexual history documentation was not associated with patient age, race, ethnicity, insurance, or the gender of the ED provider. A history of anxiety and a recent suicide attempt were associated with a lack of sexual history documentation (p = 0.03). Of the sexually active patients, 28 (56%) had documentation of contraception use. Pregnancy testing was performed in 67.3% of all patients and 80% of sexually active patients. Only 10 patients had STI testing in the ED, with most testing occurring in those with sexual history documentation (p = 0.007). In conclusion, more than half of females with suicidal ideation in our ED had no documentation of sexual history, and when documentation was completed, it was often missing important elements, including screening for pregnancy, STI, non-consensual sex, and contraception use. Since the ED visit provides an important opportunity to address the reproductive health needs of this high-risk population, further work is needed to determine ways to improve provider documentation and sexual health screening. Full article
12 pages, 378 KiB  
Article
Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Needs Associated with Underage Initiation of Selling Sex among Adult Female Sex Workers in Guinea-Bissau
by Ashley Grosso, Lindsay Berg, Katherine Rucinski, Amrita Rao, Mamadú Aliu Djaló, Daouda Diouf and Stefan Baral
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12715; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912715 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1942
Abstract
Objective: To assess the prevalence and predictors of underage initiation of selling sex among female sex workers (FSW) in Guinea-Bissau. Methods: 505 adult FSW recruited using respondent-driven sampling were surveyed in 2017. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial [...] Read more.
Objective: To assess the prevalence and predictors of underage initiation of selling sex among female sex workers (FSW) in Guinea-Bissau. Methods: 505 adult FSW recruited using respondent-driven sampling were surveyed in 2017. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics associated with initiation of selling sex while underage (<18 years). Results: A total of 26.3% (133/505) of FSW started selling sex before age 18. Underage initiation of selling sex was associated with experiencing forced sex before age 18 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 6.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.05–22.13), and never being tested for HIV (aOR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.20–0.91). Despite having lower odds of wanting to have children or more children (aOR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.17–0.56), FSW who started selling sex while underage had lower odds of using highly effective contraception such as implants (aOR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.24–0.77). Among those who were ever pregnant, a lower percentage of FSW who started selling sex while underage accessed antenatal care (56.6% vs. 74.7%, p = 0.008). Conclusions: These data suggest that early initiation of selling sex among adult FSW in Guinea-Bissau is common. Social services for youth and integrated HIV and reproductive health services are critical to address the persisting sexual and reproductive health needs of FSW who started selling sex while underage. Full article
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