Health Promotion Report: UK Strategies for Reducing Teenage Pregnancy

This report analyzes the health promotion initiatives undertaken in the UK to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. It discusses various strategies, including health promotion campaigns, sex education programs within schools, and improved access to contraception. The report highlights the negative impacts of teenage pregnancy, such as increased medical complications and social issues, and examines the effectiveness of these strategies in reducing conception rates, particularly focusing on data from Wales and England. It emphasizes the role of government and healthcare authorities in implementing and evaluating these programs, showcasing the decline in teenage pregnancy rates over time and referencing key research and government publications that support the findings. The report concludes by underscoring the continued relevance of these strategies in the present decade.

HEALTH PROMOTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Question 1: Discussion of the health promotion initiative...............................................................3
Strategies used to reduce teenage pregnancy...................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

Question 1: Discussion of the health promotion initiative
Strategies used to reduce teenage pregnancy
The situation in which girls under the age of 18 years become pregnant is known as
teenage pregnancy. Due to this condition, several types of problem arise in girls which in turn
became a vital issue in the nation. This specific problem became a huge matter of concern in UK
where rate of teenage pregnancy is higher as compared to other countries. In the present times,
problem of teenage pregnancy reduces up to the better extent as compared to previous era. In UK
proportion of such kind of issue was with the high rates in comparison to other countries. To
decline teenage pregnancy rate, government of UK takes wide range of initiatives.
With the help of health promotion campaigns, it introduced to girls about this problem
along with its impact on their health (Folland, Goodman and Stano, 2016). Negative affect of
teenage pregnancy is that medical complications increase for both baby as well as mother which
are inevitable. Along with this, sometimes girls come under the depression which create impact
on mental health. Other negative impact because of teenage pregnancy arise is that, it creates bad
reputation among society. In addition to this, issues of social obligation also enhance up to the
greater level (Saha, 2017). Before the year 2010, government of UK had taken various kinds of
actions and initiatives for declining this issue. Those strategies implemented in previous era help
to meet with the objective of teenage pregnancy reduction. In the present decade, also UK
government and health department continue with the strategies to eliminate this problem.
Very first and foremost strategy used by the government is arranging health promotion
campaigns. The reason is that, it is supportive to create awareness among girls under 18 years
about the problem of teenage pregnancy. For example: after taking initiative of this health
promotion program number or rate of teenage pregnancy decline consistently in UK. There are
some factors due to which problems of teenage pregnancies arisen. Further, such aspects include
lack of knowledge of sex, issues to access contraceptives, sexual coercion etc. When they know
about causes of arising this issue then able to avoid from their life style. Therefore, issue of
teenage pregnancy will decline and overall health system of country will be affected in positive
direction. (Pons-Vigués and et.al., 2017). In Wales, rate of teenage pregnancy is the higher in
comparison to other areas where conception rate is considered. At the end of year 2008
conception rate was 44.9% in Wales and in the England and Scotland it was 40.5% and 40.4% in

same year respectively. Due to this reason, it is mandatory to enhance awareness among the
teenage girls. This strategy is highly supportive in present times and teenage pregnancy rate
declined from previous times.
The UK government had taken health promotion initiative in which it provided sex
education to the girls under age of 18 years and this introduced in 2005-2006. Further, the
government of UK is given adequate sex education about the respective problem. In the
education system of sex, the government includes this program in the schools for those girls who
are under 18 years. With the help of this, UK wants to decline total rate of teenage pregnancy up
to the higher level (Wellings and et.al., 2016). From the past study, it can be found that, those
girls who conceive pregnancy under the age of 18 are taking participation in the education
program.
Moreover, this sex education program has objective to reduce unnecessary pregnancies
arisen in the girls who are married as well. As level of participants increases then lead to support
the UK in terms of declining teenage pregnancy. Hence, it can be said that strategy used for
preventing problem of pregnancy under 18 years of girls works up to the better level. The
program arranged by UK government i.e. sex education has focus on the behaviour of teenage
girls as well. Based on this, further decisions for arranging campaigns and sex education
programmes are taken in an appropriate manner.
In addition to this, various prevention programs held by UK healthcare authorities. Under
this, methods and sources which are supportive to avoid pregnancy introduced among the
teenagers. It is one of the highly affected strategies in positive direction among the girls under 18
who conceive pregnancy. The strategy discussed at this point is teenage pregnancy prevention
program held by healthcare frameworks of UK. This tactic is adopted by the government after
year 2010 which is highly effective as of now. When looking at the data then it can be said that
conception rate under 18 years declined by 51% baseline in 2015. Apart from this, when
considering last two decades then issue of teenage pregnancy reduced more than half percentage
(Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010, 2010). Further, it can be reviewed that, strategies
considered beyond 2010 within UK for preventing teenage pregnancy create impact in
favourable manner in today.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Folland, S., Goodman, A. C. and Stano, M., 2016. The Economics of Health and Health Care:
Pearson International Edition. Routledge.
Pons-Vigués, M. and et.al., 2017. Health-care users, key community informants and primary
health care workers’ views on health, health promotion, health assets and deficits:
qualitative study in seven Spanish regions. International Journal for Equity in Health.
16(1). p.99.
Online
Saha, R., 2017. 11 Negative Side Effects Of Teen Pregnancy On Society. [Online]. Available
through: <http://www.momjunction.com/articles/effects-of-teen-pregnancy-on-
society_00384725/#gref> [Accessed on 31st August 2017].
Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010, 2010. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/4287_Teenage
%20pregnancy%20strategy_aw8.pdf> [Accessed on 23rd August 2017].
Wellings, K. and et.al., 2016. Reviewing England's strategy to reduce under-18 conceptions:
teenage pregnancies hit record low. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2016/review_strategy_reduce_teenage_pregna
ncy.html> [Accessed on 23rd August 2017].