Introduction
Teenage pregnancy refers to the pregnancy in human females that are aged twenty years and below. Pregnancy in girls is caused by sexual intercourse after the girl has become viable, that can ovulate, which can even be before her first menstrual period but most cases occurs after the onset of her periods. This issue has many menaces alongside it, following the fact that most of the girls in this age bracket have not developed thus experience many obstetric issues. Moreover, many risks are associated with teenage pregnancy some of which include: premature labour, low birth weight, anaemia, and pre-eclampsia, dominantly in developing countries. Therefore, this paper aims to discuss teenage pregnancy in much more detail using the PICO format.
Problem definition, description and significance using Pico format
Firstly, to formulate a statement question out of this unexpected or this unwanted and accidental phenomenon called teenage pregnancy, many challenges ranging from contraction of critical conditions such as anaemia and pre-eclampsia has been experienced. The issue of teenage pregnancies among the youth is rampant and dominant in the developing country. Something that is believed to be perpetuated by a various factor in the third world countries. According to Arai (2009), third world countries are the leading with a high number of teenage pregnancies due to the following factors. These predisposing factors include high rates of poverty together with low levels of education in these regions. Additionally, other factors also include the early marriages that culminate not only to social stigma, but also to malnutrition and inadequate health care that eventually causes medical problems.
I- interventions the issue is a medical problem and requires a proper medical attention since it is not only one of the major contributors to infant mortality rate, but also one of the leading causes of health complications and obstetric issues in young mothers. In my experience as a health practitioner, I have witnessed many teenagers succumb to the complications involved in this kind of pregnancy (Wekwete, & Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, 2010). Some of which are as a result of lack of proper sex education, failure to attend clinics checkups, as well as natural factors such as underdevelopment of the young mothers to withstand birth aftermaths.
C-comparison apparently, patient care and nursing are paramount in the life of these young mothers as a sure means to prevent and manage very severe complication associated with teenage pregnancy. The case can be compared to the spread of HIV and Aids spread among the teenagers in the developing countries.
O - the outcome, in brief, the main problem associated with this matter is high child mortality rate as few babies survive these pregnancies most especially the first pregnancy. Moreover, many young mothers’ lives are also lost on the stage of births due to underdevelopment of body organs to withstand the exercise. Hence, medical attention is vital to ensure the reduction of the crisis even by advocating prevention measures, sex education to create awareness. Such factors will help young girls to manage peer pressuring them to involve in sex while not ready.
Search strategies and list of references
Since search strategy is an organisation of terms that are utilised to search information from the database, and that these databases vary hence require different search strategies, my search strategy contains a variety of searches. By testing the search strategy with a given database, I could adapt and refine the strategies based on the results retrieved from some databases.
In my search strategy strategies, I majorly employed the use of keyword words and exact phrases. Some of which include, midwives, infant mortality rates, indicators of development in countries, obstetric complications, sex education, and early marriages. These keywords directed me into various critical databases from different organizations information and authors of various articles such databases on the growing challenges by Wekwete, & Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (2010). Furthermore, I also did a search for a database on infant mortality rate from and was directed to an article by Wilpers (2010). In the search, I also carried out an adjacent searching strategy that is comparing different databases from different countries in different economic status; that is developed and underdeveloped countries. The information provided by (Arai, 2009).
Rating evidence and the articles using hierarchy of evidence model
Notably, since evidence hierarchy is a reflector of relative authority of various types of biomedical research the best method that is appropriate and which I used is the relative strength of potential or epidemiological studies.
At this point, it is important to note that, teenage pregnancy is a global issue and concern. Thus, various key researchers have vastly carried out some systematic reviews concerning the topic. About the same, researchers have also come up with critically appraised topics on the same issues with concrete evidence and guidelines to support their claims. For instance, some of the hotly contested issues are the teenage pregnancy and infant mortality rate, midwives and childbirth mortality as well as obstetric complications.
Remarkably, some of this critical information has been put into writing concerning the major topic teenage pregnancy. Wekwete and Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (2010), Explores and elaborately explains the major challenges of adolescent pregnancy and HIV and AIDS in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and southern Africa. He posits that the major influence of young marriage is a high level of poverty and low level of education. The article has been widely endorsed and supported by most scholars, hence, becomes one of the critically appraised articles on this topic. An article by Olyai, Dutta, & Rushwan, (2011) posits that most of the obstetric complications, infant mortality rate and social stigma are because of adolescent pregnancy. Furthermore, he explores the most of the detrimental social outcomes because of teenage pregnancy and their potential solution in the modern world.
In conclusion, teenage pregnancy falls among the world major causative agents of infant mortality that also happens to be the primary indicator of underdevelopment. Notably, teenage pregnancy is a severe medical issue and requires a special care it deserves. The above statement is valid because of the outcomes that adolescent pregnancy beholds. The consequences range from critical conditions to final death, causing it to be a great impediment to social and economic development. Therefore, many medication research and resources should be channelled into this issues and come up with feasible solutions to the same.
References
Arai, L. (2009). Teenage pregnancy: The making and unmaking of the problem. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
Chambers, R., Wakley, G., & Chambers, S. (2001). Tackling teenage pregnancy: Sex, culture and needs. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Olyai, R., Dutta, D. K., & Rushwan, H. (2011). Recent Advances in Adolescent Health. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers.
Wilpers, B. (2010). Teenage pregnancies in the UK and their perception in the British print media. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.
Wekwete, N. N., & Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa. (2010). Adolescent pregnancy challenges in the era of HIV and AIDS: A case study of a selected rural area in Zimbabwe. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA.
