A Human Rights-Based Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention in China

This chapter examines the causes and consequences of teenage pregnancy in China and how to prevent teenage pregnancy using a human rights-based approach. It shows that teenage pregnancy is caused by social and cultural factors, including adolescents' more open attitude towards sex, the lack of formal and comprehensive sex education at schools, parents failing to be prominent socializing agents of sexuality for their children, and the problem of “left-behind” children in rural areas. Teenage pregnancy adversely affects adolescents, their babies, and their family in different ways. In order to solve the problem of teenage pregnancy, this study suggests the adoption of a human rights-based approach to teenage pregnancy prevention by recognizing adolescents' right to sexual and reproductive information and education, their right to sexual and reproductive health services, and their right to participate.

Utilizing the Socio-Ecologic Model as a Framework for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy

Despite historic lows in teen birth rates, the U.S. still maintains the highest teen birth rate of any industrialized nation, and significant disparities exist between ethnicities and socioeconomic status (SES). The factors influencing teen birth are vast and intertwined. The socio-ecological model (SEM) provides a natural theoretical framework to study and address these multiple levels of influence, which include individual, interpersonal, institutional/organizational, and public policy. This chapter will include a summary of recent studies, and drawing from empirical findings guided by the socio-ecological model, will identify and suggest strategies at each level for reducing the teen birth rate. By addressing the overlapping layers together, as opposed to a single layer, interventions have greater potential for success.

Technology and Teenage Pregnancy

Technology plays a fundamental part in teenagers' lives since the majority of them are deemed digital natives having grown using communications, media, and digital technologies. As technology evolves, it becomes more available and more affordable to more young people. There are 104 countries where 80% of youth have internet connection. In Africa and Asia, there are more females online than males. Several educators, academics, and public health practitioners expect technology to be a remedy to all social problems or a cause for all evil in the world due to the ubiquity of technology. This chapter takes a skeptical outlook at technology by demonstrating how technology could be a cause of social problems and also be a part of the solution if used properly. The author attempts to refute the notion of technological determinism. This chapter aims to look at the role of media, communication, and educational technology, and their relationship with teenage pregnancy.

Understanding Teenage Pregnancy in the South African Context

This chapter will attempt to dissect the reasons behind the high prevalence of teenage pregnancy among secondary school girls in South Africa. The causes and factors responsible for teenage pregnancy are identified as psycho-social, social, and economic, including stigmatization. The chapter takes a qualitative position, where respondents are interviewed over and above the use of questionnaires. The health belief model is used as a theoretical framework to provide better insights into to why teenagers in secondary schools fall pregnant.

E Hine

Young Māori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) women and their babies experience more health disparities than their non-Māori counterparts. These disparities arise from multiple determinants, including racism and stigmatization. This chapter explores the pregnancy, birth, and motherhood journeys of 15 young Māori women using a Foucauldian theoretical approach. Their experiences indicate that Māori women are subject to Eurocentric medical, disciplinary, and colonial gazes—through exclusionary health, education, and social services, and public prejudices—that see them as abnormal and in need of regulation. Often with the support of their whānau (families), the participants challenged assumptions about teen mothers. They strove to be the best parents that they could be, often re-engaging with education and working hard to provide a positive future for themselves and their children.

A Methodological Consideration and Methodological Design Suitable to Examine Teenage Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy can be a sensitive topic, and understanding how to capture significant, rich, and robust information from this unique population will depend on the research methodological design implemented by the researcher. Understanding the unique challenges faced by teenage mothers and developing strategies for them to overcome these challenges will likely improve their educational and social experiences in the future. It can also deter teenagers from future practices that could lead to risky behaviors resulting in teenage motherhood. There are several methodological research designs that can be used to examine teen pregnancy. This chapter will discuss phenomenological methods and why they could be considered the best suited in understanding this phenomenon.

Bringing Culture Back In

Teenage pregnancy in United States has strong cultural and historical connections. Unfortunately, in a majority of the studies, all debates and perspectives on teen pregnancy ignore these underlying cultural values and signifiers. Yet to allow a more holistic understanding of teen pregnancy, the behavior of these teenagers should be examined within the parameters of their cultural and historical backgrounds. Teen pregnancy needs to be deconstructed from a cultural angle. This chapter focuses on the African American population and provides an alternate perspective on the behavior and actions of teenagers and on their choice of early motherhood. The chapter uses interviews conducted with school nurses and school counselors affiliated with two public high schools to provide critical insights on teenage pregnancy.

Situating Foucault in Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Measures

In spite of declining teen birth rates, teenage pregnancy in USA remains the highest amongst the industrialized nations in the world. There appears to be a correlation between teenage pregnancy and the culture of the teenagers within the African-American population. African American teenagers may be influenced by the cultural norms of their community resulting in a cycle of teenage pregnancies over the generations. It is essential to break this cycle by influencing the behavior and perceptions of the teenagers towards early motherhood and pregnancies. Using empirical data from in-depth interviews conducted with school nurses and school counselors and Foucault's disciplinary strategies, this chapter suggests mentoring as a suitable teenage pregnancy preventive measure which might be effective in guiding and shaping the decisions and choices of African American teenagers in their lives.

At the Mercy of Facebook

This chapter is a meta-analysis of teen brain research and social media technology such as Facebook that could result in spiraling rates of teenage pregnancy. The author discusses contemporary theories of brain circuitry including teen brain structure and function as one of the plausible reasons for rising teenage pregnancy rates. The author argues that the challenge is to control the quality and influence of Facebook on teen behaviors, actions, and decisions to minimize the growing influence of social networking sites. In the conclusive section of the chapter, the author focuses on the expansion and extension of instructional and non-instructional physical activities, exergames, and active video games strategies to control the quality and influence of Facebook content by presenting research that advocates use of such activities and games within the Facebook interface. The author ends the chapter by mapping a future research direction of cross-cultural empirical investigation. The author wraps the chapter with a summative conclusion.

From Early Marriage to Adolescent Pregnancy in Turkey

Early marriages/child marriages, defined as formal marriages or informal unions before age 18, have been studied within other adolescence issues in Turkey. Adolescence pregnancies resulting from early marriages in Turkey should not be evaluated without considering the socio-cultural context. This is because this problem occurs mostly under the marriage structure even if it is too early (under the age of 18) and families approve of such marriages. The purpose of this study is to discuss adolescent pregnancies as a result of early marriages in Turkey in accordance with the socio-cultural context pertaining to the social structure of Turkey.