what are the adverse effects that arises out of a sexual activity in adolescents ?
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It should not be surprising that adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, who have the highest rates of fertility for their age in the world, face probably the highest risks of pregnancy-related mortality, of delivery complications, and of premature births or low-birthweight babies. Teenage pregnancy in Africa also has important social and economic outcomes, the most highly publicized of which stem from lost educational opportunities when pregnancy forces young women to leave school.1 Ideally, an investigation of the consequences of adolescent childbearing and sexuality should cover a wide range of outcomes that affect not only the young mother and her child, but also other family members and society at large. Because there has been
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While early childbearing in some cases leads to higher child and maternal mortality, it is quite reasonable to assume that it has important effects on population levels and growth, especially in populations that appear to be governed largely by natural fertility. Given what we know about the diversity of African populations, two potential effects of early age at first birth could operate to increase population growth rates. First, areas with very young ages at first birth would very likely have compressed generations that would lead to higher rates of population growth, even if completed family size were held constant (Coale and Tye, 1961). On the other hand, in areas where entry into marriage is delayed, completed family size could be significantly lower (Hobcraft and Casterline, 1983). However, there is little direct evidence on the relationship between age at first marriage and completed family size in sub-Saharan Africa. In any event, the relationship is likely to be weak especially in areas where adolescence is undergoing such flux
Suggested Citation:"7 CONSEQUENCES OF ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY AND CHILDBEARING FOR MOTHERS...." National Research Council. 1993.
comparatively little systematic research on the subject, we focus on what is best documented: the health consequences for mother and child. Even here, our knowledge is extremely thin on, for example, the incidence of induced abortions in Africa. After treating several other types of consequences more cursorily, we draw some inferences about the consequences of adolescent childbearing under unsanctioned conditions.
Most reproductive health problems experienced by adolescents are also experienced by older women. But they are exacerbated among the young, whether by physical immaturity, primiparity, or social condemnation. Chapter 1 alludes to the two-part typology set forth by Zabin and Kiragu (1992), of childbearing among very young married women and childbearing among young unmarried women who still may be engaged in training. This typology sets the stage for discussing the consequences of adolescent fertility in terms of health and welfare for mothers and children. Because most information that is available concerns the second type, young unmarried women, we focus on that group.