 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Srikanth Malempati, MPH and Theresa J. McCann, PhD, MPH. School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, St. George's University, PO Box 7, University Centre, St. George's, Grenada, 473-444-4175, srikanthmalempati@yahoo.com
As a consequence of early initiation of sexual intercourse, pregnancy may result and lead to various adverse biological, economic, and social consequences for an adolescent mother. Recent statistics in Grenada show an increase in pregnancies among the group of adolescents less than 15 years of age, which comprises approximately 20 percent of the population of Grenada. A small cross-sectional study among young adolescents in Grenada was done in December 1999 to learn more about the attitudes, perceptions, and practices of this age group regarding sexual behavior and pregnancy. The convenience sample comprised 418 school children, between the ages of 11 to 18 years old, from four secondary schools in St. George’s Parish. The questionnaire was modified from other validated instruments and pre-tested on Grenadian youth. Administration of the survey required permission from the Ministry of Education and school principals. Adolescents completed the anonymous questionnaire in a spacious classroom setting following an introduction by the researchers and assurance that participation was voluntary and confidential. This study showed that the prevalence of adolescent sexual intercourse was 34 percent, the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy was 8.4 percent, and greater than 50 percent of adolescents did not use contraceptives during sexual intercourse. The percentages were generally higher when compared with similar data from the United States collected during the same time period. This study also showed that adolescents want to learn about sex from their parents, and suggests that parents should be more involved in discussing sexual behavior and pregnancy with their adolescents.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Sickness Absence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.