Trends on Prevalence of Teenage Pregnancy and Age-specific Fertility Rates in a Caribbean Country: A Call for Regional Intervention

Introduction: Adolescents in the Caribbean region continue to experience poor reproductive health outcomes, including high rates of first birth before the age of 20 years. Teenage pregnancies are a worldwide cause of concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 16 million girls from the ages of 15 to 19 years and about one million girls younger than 15 years of age give birth every year. This can negatively affect their psychosocial development, which in turn leads to poor health outcomes and increased risk of morbidity and of maternal mortality which is the second leading cause of death amongst girls from the ages of 15 to 19 years worldwide. This paper aimed at addressing how patterns of adolescent first births which includes; prevalence and age-specific fertility (ASFR) rates amongst adolescents have changed from 2013-2019 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Methodology: The study utilized a retrospective population-based study which consists of secondary data derived from the Family Planning Unit of the Ministry of Health and the Population and Demographic Health Survey (DHS) from 2013-2019 which are cross-sectional surveys conducted every year, compiled by the Statistical Office of the Government of SVG. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, (SPSS) version 23.0.

Result: From a baseline prevalence of 17.6% in 2013 in SVG, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy amongst adolescent aged 10-19 years and a reduction to 14.6% by 2019. Amongst adolescents from the ages of 10-14 years old showed negligible reduction from a baseline of 2.5 ASFR per 1000 women in 2014, the ASFR had only reduced to 1.1 by 2018. However, among 15-19 years old showed a steady reduction from a baseline of 67.9 ASFR per 1000 women aged in 2014, the ASFR had reduced to 45.1 by 2018. There was no statistically significant association in trends across regions in the country (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy has still remained a major public health concern, specifically amongst those <15 years of age. This finding gives a clear indication of possible cases of statutory rape due to the minimum age of consent for sexual activity for girls being 15 years (and 16 years for boys) in SVG. Efforts are needed to be geared towards a comprehensive health education and youth friendly reproductive health services, as well as introduce and enforce legislation to provide effective protection from abuse or exploitation.