Reflection on Public Health: Examining Teenage Pregnancy in Whittlesea

This essay reflects on public health challenges, focusing on teenage pregnancy in Whittlesea. It highlights the impact of lack of education, poverty, and unemployment on teenage pregnancy rates, leading to high fertility rates and adverse health outcomes for both mothers and newborns. The essay discusses issues such as lack of prenatal care, nutritional deficiencies, and the impact of single motherhood on maternal and neonatal health. It also addresses the role of peer pressure, contraceptive knowledge, and postpartum depression. The student suggests that government inspections, increased awareness, and active community and family support can help solve these problems and improve health outcomes for young mothers and their newborns. References to relevant research are also included.

Running head: REFLECTION ON PUBLIC HEALTH
Reflection on Public Health
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1REFLECTION ON PUBLIC HEALTH
High rate of pregnancy is caused due to lack of education. Poverty along with
unemployment also leads to pregnancy in teenagers. The teenagers residing in Whittlesea are
callous about their health which leads to the rate of fertility being very high. The health of the
new born children is also affected by this and the incidence of neonatal depression is
extremely high. Improper knowledge regarding contraceptive method also creates a large
burden in the society.
I think since the teenagers are deprived of adequate prenatal care which leads to
health problems in their babies later on. The teenage women as a result falls prey to anemia
or may suffer from the damage caused by low blood iron. Irregular diet thus puts both the
mother and their infant at risk. They suffer from nutritional deficiency and the infants do not
get immunization that leads to a lot of diseases. The children suffer from depression because
they are often neglected (Allen et al.,2014). I think that intellectual underdevelopment is
caused owing to children born prematurely. It has been found with the help of Regional
health status profile that was conducted in the year 2012 revealed that fertility rate was
around 2438 birth in mothers whose age range from 15-45. The increase in the rate of fertility
is owing to peer pressure and dearth of knowledge regarding contraceptive. The teenage
mothers who are pregnant often have to stop attending school on account of morning sickness
and baby bump. I think that hypertension and anaemia accounts to a great reason to the
malnourishment of mothers whose body is not strong enough to withstand the pain and
complications of childbirth. Routine check up is extremely essential as it would help the
healthcare workers in monitoring progress of baby and vitamins can be supplied to them that
would reduce the chances of any kind of risk during the later stages of their life (Bauer et
al.,2014).
I think stress after childbirth is responsible for headaches and insomonia since the
new mother worries about their new born children. Depression occurs when the new born

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cannot deal with so much of stress because the child is refusing to eat or breastfeed properly.
The baby will crying and refuse to latch into the nipple of the mother thus causing the mother
acute discomfort (Kendall-Tackett 2016). It will make the mother feel restless and
purposeless and her mind will veer towards depression. Single mothers indulge in a great deal
of smoking because they have to singlehandedly take care of their children. Even some of the
mothers engage themselves in drinking because they cannot deal with the stress. Cannabis
that is used to create anxiety and cocaine are the drugs that are most commonly used (Prost et
al.,2013).
I think proper government inspection and awareness would be able to solve this
problem to a great extent and family and society should take active steps to take care of both
the newborn as well as the new mother. Health service will be able to promote and ensure
best health outcome of the young mothers and their new born.

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References:
Allen, J., Balfour, R., Bell, R., & Marmot, M. (2014). Social determinants of mental
health. International Review of Psychiatry, 26(4), 392-407.
Bauer, A., Parsonage, M., Knapp, M., Iemmi, V., & Adelaja, B. (2014). Costs of perinatal
mental health problems.
Kendall-Tackett, K. A. (2016). Depression in new mothers: Causes, consequences and
treatment alternatives. Taylor & Francis.
Prost, A., Colbourn, T., Seward, N., Azad, K., Coomarasamy, A., Copas, A., ... &
MacArthur, C. (2013). Women's groups practising participatory learning and action to
improve maternal and newborn health in low-resource settings: a systematic review
and meta-analysis. The Lancet, 381(9879), 1736-1746.