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  • Title: Early childbearing in Honduras: a continuing challenge.
    Author: Sabonge K, Wulf D, Remez L, Prada E, Drescher J.
    Journal: Issues Brief (Alan Guttmacher Inst); 2006 Sep; (4):1-23. PubMed ID: 17152658.
    Abstract:
    (1) Honduras has the highest adolescent birthrate in Central America, at 137 births for every 1,000 15-19-year-olds. This rate has remained unchanged over the past two decades, despite declines in the birthrate among women in all other age-groups. In absolute numbers, births to adolescents increased by 50% between 1987 and 2001. (2) As of 2001, only one-third of all women aged 20-24 (and only one-seventh of those in rural areas) had completed primary school; less education is associated with a higher likelihood of early childbearing. (3) One-half of 20-24-year-olds give birth by age 20; this proportion is higher among the least-educated women (70%), the poorest women (64%) and those in rural areas (60%). (4) In 2001, 40% of all recent adolescent births were unplanned, and the highest proportion was among those with the most education (48%). Most sexually active 15-19-year-olds (70%) do not want to have a child in the next two years. (5) Despite these reproductive preferences, just one in three sexually active adolescents uses a modern contraceptive method. Overall, 48% of adolescents have an unmet need for effective contraception. (6) High levels of early childbearing coexist with low rates of professional prenatal and delivery care. In 2001, one-third of recent 15-24-year-old mothers did not make a single prenatal care visit. The same proportion gave birth without a medical professional in attendance. (7) Policies and programs that aim to promote adolescents' reproductive health and support their childbearing preferences exist, but they are often not fully implemented and need more official commitment and resources.
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