Accra,(Greater Accra) 6 Nov. A baseline survey conducted in two districts in the Eastern Region has found that improper parental care is to blame for the high rate of teenage pregnancy. A total of 75 males and 75 females interviewed in the New Juaben and Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar Districts concluded that the incidence of teenage pregnancy is high because parents are too busy attending to their economic activities than the needs of their children. The results of the survey, which was one among four others conducted in February this year by the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network, a local NGO with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was made public at a seminar in Accra today. The aim was to measure the level of, and ascertain the reasons for teenage pregnancy and abortion in the districts and to find out from the youth whether they see it as a problem. According to Mr Cosmos Ohene-Adjei, Programme Officer of the Eastern Region Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), 54.8 per cent of respondents said the problem was due to parental irresponsibility while 31.5 per cent said it was due to peer pressure. He said 16.4 per cent blamed teenage pregnancy on poverty saying girls, mostly from single parents, do not get enough money from their parents for their needs. They therefore look elsewhere for assistance. Mr Ohene-Adjei said 9.6 per cent said teenage pregnancy is due to ignorance. He said 45.2 per cent called for education of parents on their responsibility, 16.4 per cent called for moral and ethical education for the youth while 12.3 per cent expressed the need for education on family planning and contraceptives to the sexually active youth. He said 1.4 per cent called for bye laws to regulate the activities and behaviour of the youth. Mrs Kate Parkes, Project Co-ordinator, said though the study is intended to assist people in the advocacy network in the selected districts, it is hoped that health workers, policy makers, planners, policy implementors and students will find it useful. She said the advocacy approach would be coordinated with the regional office of the National Population Council in the pilot region to develop a process for promoting community involvement in population activities to serve as a model for other regions.
