CAUSES OF THE PREVALENCE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL FEMALE STUDENTS

CAUSES OF THE PREVALENCE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL FEMALE STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0. INTRODUCTION.

The word Teenage refers to both male and female between the ages thirteen and nineteen (13-19years). Under the American social norm, such teenagers are not regarded as matured. Although physiologically, they look like adults and so they engage in acts of sexual intercourse with members of opposite sex. This behavior poses a great challenge to health services, since sex at this tender age exposes them to a lot of risks, such as teenage pregnancy.

This was informed by Awake (1990) when the publisher put forward that moral decadence among our youths is assuming alarming proportion in Nigeria today, day after day, month after month and year after year, crime rates are mounting by leaps and bound.

Teenage pregnancy has become serious public health problem particularly in the developing countries and researches that have been conducted have shown that it has been on the increase. Research conducted also shows that teenage pregnancy poses health problem in developed countries like America.

Corry and Cray (1997) supported the notion that schools should teach health education and in addition identify the current problems such as sexual transmitted diseases, which is usually followed by pregnancy among teenagers. The role of school and home towards sex education has been a controversial issue. Mooney (1975) and Fakunle (1986) have conducted a research holding that teenagers learn about sex from peer and literature and much of the information so obtained is inadequate and inaccurate. (Oladapo and Akintayo 1991). Sex is glamorized in books, televisions and movies. This places greater responsibilities on young persons to maintain a standard of conduct that will give greatest happiness both now and in the future. The standard of conduct required by adolescent is better started at home. Turner 1979.

Mooney (1975) writing on schools, responsibilities of both school and parents opined that parent’s primary role is to set behavior limits for their own children. Fakunle (1986) further asserted that in the early stages of personality development must be encouraged at home particularly sexual knowledge knowing how they function and sexual changes fully enjoyed.

CAUSES OF THE PREVALENCE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL FEMALE STUDENTS