Adolescent Pregnancy: Thailand’s National Agenda
Rosawan Areemit MD*, Jadsada Thinkhamrop MD**, Pensri Kosuwon MD*, Pakaphan Kiatchoosakun MD*, Sumitr Sutra MD*, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD***
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand *** Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : Unintended pregnancy during adolescence can have profound effects on adolescents, their parents and family,
the child and the country’s developing population.
Objective : To analyze the adolescent pregnancy situation in Thailand in order to provide data and suggestions for refining the
nation’s medical curricula and enhancing health services for adolescents.
Material and Method: National data from Thailand’s 3 major health care systems, regarding; adolescent pregnancy
complications, deliveries, outcomes and deaths in the 2010 fiscal year were analyzed and compared to women 20-34 years of
age.
Results : There were 80,523 adolescent pregnancies, comprising 25.9% of all pregnancies. The pregnancy rate for 15-19
year-olds was 33.4 per 1,000 and abortion was the outcome in 14.4%, (18.0% of all abortions). The adolescent birth rate was
28.7 in women 15-19 years of age-on average, there were 188.8 adolescent deliveries per day. Adolescents gave birth to
37.2% of all preterm infants: the preterm birth rate was significantly greater than in women in the optimum reproductive age.
Most deliveries were spontaneous vertex deliveries with lower complications and mortality rates than for women in the
optimum reproductive age.
Conclusion : Unintended pregnancy can have profound effects on adolescent parents, their parents and families, the child and
the country’s developing population. It should, therefore, be considered a major public health problem that warrants
immediate intervention at the national level.
Keywords : Adolescent, Pregnancy, Abortion, Preterm
