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Jennifer Simmons, RN, MPH, School of Public Health, Community Health Sciences, UCLA, Charles E Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, 310-202-7376, simmonsbz@mindspring.com
BACKGROUND: Fertility rates have steadily improved in Central America and the Caribbean, however progress in adolescent fertility has not compared well. Little research has been done on teenage fertility in Belize. This study compares fertility indicators between teenagers and women a generation older. METHOD: The data source is a family health survey conducted in 1999. Adolescent fertility is assessed by age specific fertility rates for women aged 13–19 years. The proportion of women who became mothers by age 15, 18 or 20 years, along with contrasts between two generations determines timing of childbirth. Select proximal determinants of fertility are compared amongst women 13-19, 20-24 and 40-44 years. RESULTS: Adolescent fertility rate is 95 births per 1000 teenagers, a 30% reduction since1991. The age at birth of first child is 16.5, 18.2 and 20.7 amongst teenagers, 20-24 and 40-44 year old women respectively. Almost 19% of women 20-24 years were mothers by age 18, compared to 8.5% a generation before; 59.4% compared to 38.4% had joined motherhood by age 18, while 85.8% and 58.8% gave birth by age 20 in the two respective cohorts. TFR for the sample was 3.67 births; age at sexual debut is 15.6, 16.9 and 18.3 for adolescents, 20-24 and 40-44 year old women respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the adolescent fertility rate has improved, more teenagers in Belize are becoming mothers at increasingly younger ages. Early ages of premarital sex is becoming normative, thus teenage fertility remains a social and economic problem for the country.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, International, Reproductive Health
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.