Call for more teen contraception

SEX education programmes in schools must be made more comprehensive if the spiralling number of teenage pregnancies is to be curbed, according to a health board report.

The survey on underage births also recommends that contraceptive services be made more readily available to teenagers.

The report by the South Eastern Health Board will form the basis for a health board service plan, said women’s health development officer Angela O’Shea.

“The bottom line is that sex education programmes in our schools are not detailed and comprehensive enough,” she said. “We need to be working on a sex education programme which is more peer-led.

“Sixteen- to 18-year-olds need to work with the 12- and-13-year-olds to deliver a more comprehensive programme on issues relating to sexuality and sex education.”

The report, Experience of Teenage Pregnancy in the South East of Ireland, was carried out to develop a fuller understanding of the issues and determine how the public service providers should respond.

It is the first qualitative study in Ireland to date which describes the spectrum of attitudes and experiences that make up the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy.

It recommends that sex education programmes be delivered in a more holistic, interactive and comprehensive manner. Better antenatal education is proposed, as are support services for those who become pregnant. The need for support services for parents to help them discuss sexual health with their children and cope with teenage pregnancies is also highlighted.

The report recommends that more links be formed between community welfare officers, social workers and schools.

Central Statistics Office figures show there were 21 births to mothers aged 15 or under in the first three months of this year. There were 54 births to mothers aged 16 and under, 138 to mothers 17 and under, and 254 to mothers 18 and under.

Figures to June will be available next week.