Running head: POPULATION AT RISK: TEEN MOTHERS

Population at Risk: Teen Mothers

Erin G. Mosher
Ferris State University

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

It is common knowledge that teen pregnancy is a concern across many different

populations. Even though teen pregnancy rates have dropped since the 1990s (refer to Appendix
A), young women giving birth before the age of nineteen years is still a continuing issue and
causes vast economic, social, psychological, and mostly, health problems. Babies born to
mothers in their teen years, especially unwed mothers, are at a high risk for not only health
problems such as low birth weight and problems related to drug and alcohol use during the
pregnancy, but also for emotional and psychological problems related to lack of parenting figures
and stable home environments. However, in the focus of health problems related to babies born
to teen mothers, it is often not considered that the young mothers themselves are also a high risk
population with their own array of life-threatening health risks.
In 2013, the CDC recorded a total of 273, 105 babies born to mothers between the ages
of fifteen and nineteen years old (Ccd.gov, 2015). Not only do these young mothers have to deal
with the responsibility of caring for a child, possibly one with health problems from birth, with
often little to no support from friends or family members, but they themselves are also at risk for
multiple health problems from carrying and delivering a baby at a young age. In her prizewinning essay, Whats so bad about teenage pregnancy? Aubrey J Cunningham states that,
the most frequently cited medical consequences of teenage pregnancy are anaemia, pregnancyinduced hypertension, low birth weight, prematurity, intra-uterine growth retardation and
neonatal mortality (Cunnington, 2001). Mothers younger than nineteen years of age are at a
significantly higher risk especially for developing preeclampsia and anemia during pregnancy.
Preeclampsia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension, as well as pregnancy-induced anemia,
or lack of iron in the blood, are two of the most common and also the most preventable health
risks posed to teen mothers. This is highly associated with noncompliance when it comes to diet

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

restrictions and recommendations during pregnancy. Many teenagers live on fast foods, which
are notoriously high in sodium content, and often will not follow the nutritious diets
recommended by their OB (Murdock, 1998). Lack of proper education about diet, along with
lack of prenatal care available to or accepted by young mothers leads to a lack of adequate
weight gain and nutritional intake during the course of a teens pregnancy, resulting in increased
cases of preeclampsia and anemia in mothers less than nineteen years of age. Preeclampsia
involves an increase in blood pressure related to pregnancy and the presence of protein in the
urine and leads to dangers for both mother and baby including seizures, placental damage, and
long term kidney, liver and brain damage. The most effective way to combat the risk of
preeclampsia is to maintain adequate weight gain during pregnancy and ensure proper nutritional
intake and balance through delivery.
Other than the physical health risks that accompany teen pregnancy, there are also
emotional and psychological risks that can be damaging to both the young mother and her
offspring. There have been numerous studies that focus on the idea that teenage pregnancy
results in heightened levels of anxiety and depression for the young mothers, and that bearing a
child during the teen years, especially focusing on unplanned pregnancies, is overall detrimental
to the mothers psychological health. In British Journal of General Practice, the author
discusses the negative impact of a teenage pregnancy on female adolescents. Given that social
attitudes towards teenage pregnancy and motherhood are generally negative, and there is
empirical evidence indicating that teenage pregnancy is most often unplanned and that most
teenage mothers are economically and materially disadvantaged, it is reasonable to expect a
higher rate of post-partum depression and stress-related illness among teenage mothers than
among adult mothers (Boohan, Bradley, Cupples & Irvine, 1997). The article goes on to say that

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

the adolescent years in themselves can feel like a crisis to young women experiencing them,
with vast hormonal changes along with changes in the body and many overwhelming emotions,
and that adding the crisis of a pregnancy to this already stressful time is a nearly impossible
adjustment for most.
Emotional support also needs to be considered when looking at the psychological effects
of pregnancy and child birth on a teenager. Even in mature adult women of appropriate child
bearing age and even in completely planned pregnancies, the level of support and family
dynamics plays a huge part in how the mother will respond to pregnancy and motherhood as a
whole. There is evidence that teenage mothers often lose contact with friends, become socially
isolated and are frequently unaware of professional support systems that are available to them. In
other words, it seems that, as a group, teenage mothers are disadvantaged with regard to social
support that encompasses finances, welfare services and family (Boohan, Bradley, Cupples &
Irvine, 1997).
Reducing the number of teen pregnancies is a nation-wide effort that involves individuals
at every level of government and health care agencies. Education is the key in preventing teen
pregnancy, and if not preventing it, then at least making sure that young, at risk mothers are
getting the adequate prenatal care in order to maintain a healthy pregnancy for themselves and
the baby. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recently teamed up with the federal
government to collaborate on an initiative to reduce teen pregnancy and address disparities in
teen pregnancy and birth rates (Cdc.gov, 2015). This initiative aims to prove the effectiveness of
programs to fight the prevalence of teen pregnancy that are individualized toward communities,
especially those at higher risks for high rates of teenage births. The overall goals include the
obvious hope of reducing overall rates of teen pregnancy, but also to increase the availability of

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educational resources and programs that help prevent teen pregnancies. These programs will be
community based to target specific risk factors associated with higher rates of teen mothers, with
the current main focus being African American and Latino youth between the ages of fifteen and
nineteen years old. By not only educating at risk teens about the implications and risks of getting
pregnant at a young age and providing them with access to contraception and knowledge about
the use of contraception, this initiative will also teach teens about the importance of prenatal care
if they are to become pregnant. Last but definitely not least, the initiative will move toward
making prenatal care much more accessible to pregnant teens and making sure that necessary
obstetric care is available and made aware to these young women.
This movement coordinated by the CDC is extremely important in reducing teen
pregnancy and the health risks that it entails. It does not take the power of a government agency
however, to begin reducing the risk factors associated with teen pregnancy and make positive
steps toward change. By promoting education about contraception and making said
contraception more available to teenagers, as well as education about the health risks related with
young pregnancies, schools and other community programs can make a difference in decreasing
the number of teen pregnancies in individualized areas. As mentioned earlier, family dynamics
also play a big role in the prevalence and outcomes of teen pregnancies, so parents can make a
difference in avoiding teen pregnancies by talking openly to their children about contraception
and reproductive health and also by providing their children, especially teenagers, with a strong
and structured support system and open communication in the home.
Teen mothers need to be recognized and considered as a legitimate population at risk for
many detrimental health issues. Not only the health of the babies, but the physical and emotional
health risks for the mother that are strongly associated with teen pregnancy cannot be ignored.

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

Educating young people about the importance of prenatal care if they are to become pregnant
and in turn making this care accessible and affordable for those at risk is a huge step toward
lessening the negative health concerns associated with teen pregnancy. Recognizing
communities at risk for higher incidences of teen pregnancies is also a factor, because then
education can be aimed at individualized problems within set environments, instead of looking at
the problem as a whole and failing to address concerns that might be specific to certain areas.
Overall, viewing young mothers as a vulnerable population and recognizing that education can
make a huge difference in limiting the health problems associated with teen pregnancy and
childbirth is key to making a difference in the overall health and lives of these young women,

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

Sources
Cunnington, A. (2001). What's so bad about teenage pregnancy?. Journal Of Family
Planning And Reproductive Health Care, 27(1), 36-41. http://dx.doi.org/
10.1783/147118901101194877
Murdock, N. (1998). Teenage pregnancy. Journal of the National Medical Association,
90.3, 135-136. http://0-search.proquest.com.libcat.ferris.edu/docview/214062977?
OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=10825

Boohan, M., Bradley, T., Cupples, M., Irvine, H. (1997). The implications of teenage pregnancy
and motherhood for primary health care: unresolved issues. British Journal of
General

Practice, 47, 323-326.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1313012/pdf/

Cdc.gov,. (2015). Partners and Projects | Teen Pregnancy | Reproductive Health | CDC. Retrieved
9 October 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/prevent-teen-pregnancy/

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

Appendix A

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

Sources
Cunnington, A. (2001). What's so bad about teenage pregnancy?. Journal Of Family
Planning And Reproductive Health Care, 27(1), 36-41. http://dx.doi.org/
10.1783/147118901101194877
Murdock, N. (1998). Teenage pregnancy. Journal of the National Medical Association,
90.3, 135-136. http://0-search.proquest.com.libcat.ferris.edu/docview/214062977?
OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=10825

Boohan, M., Bradley, T., Cupples, M., Irvine, H. (1997). The implications of teenage pregnancy
and motherhood for primary health care: unresolved issues. British Journal of
General

Practice, 47, 323-326.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1313012/pdf/

POPULATION AT RISK:TEEN MOTHERS

10

Cdc.gov,. (2015). Partners and Projects | Teen Pregnancy | Reproductive Health | CDC. Retrieved
9 October 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/prevent-teen-pregnancy/