Teen pregnancy rate lowest since 1969

The teen pregnancy rate in England and Wales has reached its lowest since 1969, new data shows.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show conceptions in under-18s fell to 34,633 in 2010 compared with 38,259 in 2009, a drop of 9.5%.
Pregnancies in under-16s also went down - by 6.8% to 6,674 in total from 7,158 the previous year.
But the pregnancy rate overall increased, as more women in their 30s and 40s are now having babies.
The overall conception rate for 2010 was 82.3 per thousand women, up from 80.9 in 2009, a rise of 1.7%.
The sharpest rise occurred among women aged 40 and over, rising by 5.2% to nearly 30,000.
This rate has now more than doubled since 1990.
Conception rates also continued to rise among women in their 30s.
Experts say the trends might be driven by the economic recession.
In tough financial times, family may be valued more highly and, as parents could be out of work, they may have more time to spend on child rearing.
But others, like women in their early 20s, may delay having a family due to financial concerns caused by the recession.
Julie Bentley, chief executive of FPA, said the decline in teen pregnancies was to be welcomed.
"The fact that we're seeing the lowest teenage pregnancy figures in England and Wales for over 40 years is because of the dedicated work of professionals in relationship and sex education, contraception and local services. We must do all we can to keep the momentum going," she said.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "It is encouraging to see teenage pregnancy rates continuing to decline. They are now at their lowest level for over 40 years.
"However, we still have high rates compared with many other western European countries. That is why we are giving local councils ringfenced public budgets and the power to build healthier communities."
Labour, who were in power when the drop occurred, said it was proof that its strategy of working to improve sex education was successful and should continue.
Source: Michelle Roberts, BBC News, 28 February 2012

do you like the trend?

UK:Quarter of young women were sexually active by age 16

 More than a quarter of young women in England first had sex before their 16th birthday, according to a new report from the NHS Information Centre.
Twenty-seven per cent of 16 to 24-year-old women said they started having sex when they were below 16 years of age, along with 22 per cent of men in the same age group.
And one in ten people in the 16 to 24 age group claimed they had had ten or more sexual partners.
Meanwhile, 26 per cent of young women and 32 per cent of young men told the 2010 edition of the Health Survey for England that they had never had sex.
The median age when a person becomes sexually active is 17 for both men and women.
Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said: 'This year's report ... paints a picture of sexual behaviour which is changing over the generations, with younger women tending to begin having sex younger.
'These findings will be of interest to the NHS in tackling matters such as sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive services.'
The research also revealed that 12 per cent of women, aged 16 to 69, who had ever been sexually active had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, along with nine per cent of men.
Rebecca Findlay, a spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association, observed that society and the nature of relationships has changed 'dramatically' in the last 50 years.
'Education and information safeguard the sexual health needs of young people and help them resist having sex before they're ready, which is why, given this data from the NHS Information Centre, there's an overwhelming need for statutory sex and relationships education in schools,' she said.

>Source<: netdoctor, 15 December 2011
17=median, is incorrect, since 1/4 had never sex

Teenagers in Britain want a say in sex education, says charity

Teenagers in Britain want to have more say in the content of sex education lessons at school, a survey finds.
A poll of over 2,000 14 to 18-year-olds found 78% did not have the chance to influence the content of these lessons, but 72% thought they should.
The poll, for the youth sexual health charity Brook, found more than one in five (22%) rated sex and relationships education as poor or very poor.
The government said it was reviewing this part of the curriculum in England.
The survey of 2,029 teenagers in England, Scotland and Wales found just over a third (34%) thought sex education at their school was good or very good and 40% said it was average.
More than half (52%) said relationships and emotions were not discussed enough in the relevant class.
About one in seven (13%) teenagers said they learnt most about sex from a sex and relationships education (SRE) teacher at school.
Just under one in 10 (9%) said they received most of their information about sex from their mother, father or both parents.
Over a third (36%) said they got most of their information about sex from friends and 10% said they got this from a boyfriend or girlfriend.
And 14% said they learnt about the subject from agony aunt columns, magazines, books, music lyrics and videos or TV.
The survey revealed 5% learnt about sex online from pornography.
The survey was conducted in September by the company Research Bods, among young people from its youth research panel.
Jules Hillier, Brook deputy chief executive, said: "Young people in Britain deserve honest, useful information about sex and relationships but SRE in UK schools is failing them.
"Standards vary so widely that all too often young people miss out on the information they need to stay safe, healthy and happy.
"Worse, we know that the void is not being filled by reliable information from elsewhere - like parents - but from the playground and, even more worrying, internet porn.
"We are calling on young people to seize the opportunity to make their voices heard by telling us what they think 21st Century SRE should cover, to better meet their needs."
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "We are carrying out a wide, internal review of the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum to strengthen classes to address weaknesses reported by Ofsted last year.
"We are simplifying the statutory guidance on sex education to focus on relationships, positive parenting, and teaching young people about sexual consent.
"We have launched a public call for evidence - and will consult on firm proposals in due course."
Source: Katherine Sellgren, BBC news, 12 October 2011

Unprotected Sex Becoming Alarmingly Common in Youngsters: Survey

The number of young people having unprotected sex in the West has risen sharply over the past two years, a survey said, with health professionals concerned the safe sex message is falling on deaf ears.

The study showed particularly sharp increases among sexually active teenagers in the United States and in European countries such as France who were failing to use contraception with a new partner.

In the United States, the percentage rose from 38 percent in 2009 to 53 percent now, while France saw an increase from 19 percent to 40 percent.

The survey to mark World Contraception Day also discovered that Thailand is a particular cause for concern because as many of 62 percent of young Thais have had unprotected sex with a new partner.

But the figure was above 50 percent in countries as diverse as China, South Korea, Norway and Estonia.

The study highlights that across Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and the United States, the most common reason for not using contraception is a lack of preparedness for sexual activity.

Up to a third of young people in those regions said they did not have any form of contraception available when at the time of intercourse.

Jennifer Woodside of the International Planned Parenthood Federation said: "What the results show is that too many young people either lack good knowledge about sexual health, do not feel empowered enough to ask for contraception or have not learned the skills to negotiate contraceptive use with their partners to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies or STIs (sexually transmitted infections)."


Source: Tanya Thomas, MedIndia, 27 September 2011

and what is the study Tanya ???

Teenage pregnancy is 'contagious'

Teenage pregnancy is 'contagious' between sisters, researchers in the UK and Norway have claimed.

A study of more than 42,000 Norwegian teenage girls suggested they were more likely to become pregnant if their older sister had a baby as a teenager.

The effect was greatest when the sisters were of a similar age or from a poorer background.

The Family Planning Association said the results may not necessarily apply to the UK but were still interesting.

Factors such as family background and level of education are already known to influence teenage pregnancy. This new research, carried out in conjunction with the University of Bristol, looked at the specific effect sisters have on each other.

"Sisters generally spend more time together than schoolmates or friends and so sisters are likely to be influenced by the behaviour of their siblings," the report said.

They looked at data from children born between 1947 and 1958 to compare families from a similar background from different regions of Norway.



The researchers said the probability of the younger sister having a teenage pregnancy went from one in five to two in five if the elder sister had a baby as a teenager.

Spending more time in school did reduce the probability of a teenage pregnancy, but on a much smaller scale than the effect of a pregnant sister.

One of the researchers, Professor Carol Propper, described this as "the contagious effect of teen motherhood". She said, "Two groups were particularly vulnerable - those in low income households and sisters close in age."

She argued that any "sister effect" would wear off as the age gap increased because the siblings would be on "different life trajectories", whereas those of similar ages would have similar social circles.

The study looked at births rather than conceptions. Professor Propper said an elder sister with a baby could also influence the decision to keep a baby.

"The research says how important family is compared to institutions or mandating children to stay at school for an extra couple of years," she said.

"It is important when thinking about campaigns to affect teen pregnancy. More policies aimed directly at decreasing teenage pregnancy may be needed in order to reduce teen births."

Rebecca Findlay, from the Family Planning Association, said: "Teenage pregnancy is complicated.

"Social and economic deprivation and poor education all impact hugely onto it and we already know that being the daughter of a teenage mother is one of the contributing risk factors towards teenage pregnancy.

"Although it's difficult to draw direct comparisons to this country just yet, this research is of interest."

Jules Hillier, the deputy chief executive of the charity Brook, said: "There are links between low aspirations, deprivation and teenage pregnancy, but there are also a whole range of measures that need to be in place to reduce teenage pregnancy rates such as comprehensive sex and relationships education and easy access to sexual health services."

Source: BBC news online, 9 August 2011