WHO releases new guideline to prevent adolescent pregnancies and improve girls’ health – World Health Organization (WHO)

Tackling Adolescent Pregnancy: WHO Releases New Guideline

In a bid to tackle the leading cause of death globally among 15–19-year-old girls, the World Health Organization (WHO) today released a new guideline aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and its significant related health complications.

Addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

Among other strategies, the guideline urges rapid action to end child marriage, extend girls’ schooling, and improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and information – all critical factors for reducing early pregnancies among teenagers around the world.

Creating Conditions for Girls and Young Women to Thrive

“Early pregnancies can have serious physical and psychological consequences for girls and young women, and often reflect fundamental inequalities that affect their ability to shape their relationships and their lives,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO and the United Nations’ Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP). “Tackling this issue therefore means creating conditions where girls and young women can thrive – by ensuring they can stay in school, be protected from violence and coercion, access sexual and reproductive health services that uphold their rights, and have real choices about their futures.”

The Impact of Early Pregnancy

• More than 21 million adolescent girls become pregnant each year in low and middle-income countries, around half of which are unintended.
• Early pregnancy can create cycles of intergenerational poverty that become difficult to break, impacting girls’ education, social connection, and future employment prospects.
• Early pregnancy brings serious health risks, including higher rates of infections, preterm births, and complications from unsafe abortions.

Addressing the Root Causes

Reasons for early pregnancy are varied and interrelated, including gender inequities, poverty, lack of opportunity, and inability to access sexual and reproductive health services. There is a strong correlation with child marriage: in low- and middle-income countries, 9 in 10 adolescent births take place among girls who were married before the age of 18.

Recommendations for Prevention

• The guideline recommends holistic efforts to provide viable alternatives to early marriage by strengthening girls’ education, savings, and employment prospects.
• If all girls finished their secondary schooling, it has been estimated that child marriages could be reduced by as much as two-thirds.
• The guideline recommends laws to prohibit marriage below the age of 18, consistent with human rights standards, and community engagement to prevent the practice.

Empowering Adolescents through Education

“Early marriage denies girls their childhood and has severe consequences for their health,” said Dr Sheri Bastien, Scientist for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health at WHO. “Education is critical to change the future for young girls, while empowering adolescents – both boys and girls – to understand consent, take charge of their health, and challenge the major gender inequalities that continue to drive high rates of child marriage and early pregnancy in many parts of the world.”

Ensuring Access to Quality Healthcare

The recommendations highlight the need to ensure adolescents can access high-quality, adolescent-responsive sexual and reproductive health services, including contraceptive options. Young girls who get pregnant also need to be able to access high-quality and respectful healthcare during and after pregnancy and birth, free from stigma and discrimination, as well as safe abortion care.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Finally, comprehensive sexuality education is essential for both boys and girls to ensure they know where to access such services and how to use different types of contraception. It has been shown to reduce early pregnancies, delay the onset of sexual activity, and improve adolescents’ knowledge about their bodies and reproductive health.

Conclusion

This guideline updates an earlier edition of the guideline on adolescent pregnancy prevention from 2011 and focuses particularly on preventing child marriage and improving adolescents’ access to and use of contraception. It complements WHO’s related guidance around health services for adolescents, comprehensive sexuality education, and gender-based violence.

Progress and Disparities

Globally, there has been progress in reducing adolescent pregnancies and births. In 2021, an estimated 1 in 25 girls gave birth before the age of 20, compared to 1 in 15 two decades prior. However, significant disparities remain, with close to 1 in 10 adolescent girls (15–19 years) giving birth each year in some countries.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information, and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
   • Indicator: Access to sexual and reproductive health services and information.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   • Indicator: Girls’ secondary school completion rates.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
   • Indicator: Prevalence of child, early, and forced marriage.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
   • Indicator: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line.

5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
   • Indicator: Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 who experienced sexual violence by age 18.

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under the identified SDGs are:

• Target 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information, and education.
• Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education.
• Target 5.3: Eliminate child, early, and forced marriage.
• Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include:

• Access to sexual and reproductive health services and information (related to Target 3.7)
• Girls’ secondary school completion rates (related to Target 4.1)
• Prevalence of child, early, and forced marriage (related to Target 5.3)
• Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (related to Target 10.2)
• Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 who experienced sexual violence by age 18 (related to Target 16.2)

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: who.int