CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Because of the early age at which teenagers participate in sexual activities and the outcome of unplanned and unexpected pregnancies connected with the danger and issue of early motherhood, teenage pregnancy continues to garner growing attention in both developing and developed nations. Adolescents become sexually active at a young age due to a lack of proper knowledge, education, and communication about reproductive health services, as well as the recurring worry in many regions of the globe, resulting in a high frequency of teenage pregnancy today. Around half of the population in many developing nations is under the age of 15. These age groups are more likely to engage in sexual behavior, which has resulted in many teenage pregnancies while also costing the teenager their educational opportunities (Gyan, 2013). In Edo state as a whole, unwed pregnancy and motherhood are discouraged. When a teenage pregnancy is permitted to continue, it might put the health of the young mother at jeopardy due to insufficient parental care. As a result, the woman and her kid will be at a significant danger following delivery. Infanticide, baby abandonment, and child maltreatment may be on the rise as a result of these situations. Pregnancies among teens are causing worry in many developed nations nowadays for these reasons. WHO (World Health Organization) (2000).
According to Van (2007), who believes that economic factors play a role in adolescent pregnancy, teens from lower-income homes are more likely to report having sexual intercourse, regardless of family structure or race. It’s also worth noting that teens from single-parent families are more likely to report having a family, especially given Nigeria’s current education system’s high cost of school fees. These have introduced females to sexual intercourse in order to figure out how to deal with their school price issue. This conduct was sometimes the outcome of a bad familial history. Van went on to say that drug misuse has long been regarded as one of the most serious health and societal issues, with adolescent pregnancies as a consequence of teens engaging in sexual activity without thinking things through because they are under the influence of alcohol.
There are various hazards for newborns born into an environment that lacks life’s fundamental necessities, in addition to the risk of being born by a teenage mother. In everyday life, the baby and the mother are frequently at a disadvantage. Teenage women are often portrayed as inept parents (BuchHoiz, 2003), and their children are considered to be at high risk of mistreatment. The degree of danger posed to children by adolescent parents, on the other hand, may be largely influenced by the financial, social, and emotional strains that these families are under. The availability of resources is the most important aspect, followed by support and encouragement. In most industrialized nations, there are several social programs and supports accessible to pregnant teens in acknowledgement of the documented challenges of teenage pregnancy and early motherhood. Family welfare programs are a collection of measures created at the executive level to give tangible assistance and services for the progress of groups and people in order to bring about social change, family planning, education welfare services, food and nutrition, and other issues. The culture and history of a nation, as well as its values, traditions, and social structure, as well as its resources and awareness, influence the shape and substance of a program, as well as its organization and administration. The notion of social health arose from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) comprehensive definition of health, which is “a state of full physical, social, and mental well-being of a person, not only the absence of illnesses or infirmities.” Man is commonly recognized to be a sociable animal, according to Chijioke (2010), and therefore thrives through socializing with his fellow humans. Similarly, Oguguo (2004) argues that man’s nature, which cannot be properly satisfied without inter and intra relationships, has also caused various societal issues, ranging from enmity to others, which have been bred and fostered by the “jet age.” According to Ogugo (2004), these issues are the negative consequences of man’s social awareness, which health educators have labeled social health. According to Asogwa (2000), some of these social health concerns are referred to as social health difficulties. This is because, in his opinion, their solution necessitates community involvement, professional expertise, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and more effort and time. Teenage pregnancy, drunkenness, drug addiction, and sexual promiscuity, among other social health issues, are often connected with teenagers, according to Nwachukwu (2009).
According to Chauhan (1999), development is a continuous process that starts at conception in the mother’s womb and continues until death. Adolescence, on the other hand, is the era of life that occurs between the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. According to Njoku (2008), adolescence is the period of time when boys and girls psychologically, emotionally, socially, and physically transition from childhood to maturity. The duration of the time varies by culture and encompasses the adolescent years. Ene and Nnamani, who are in their teenage years in Nigeria, are between the ages of 12 and 20. (2000). The majority of teens go through a phase of fast development known as the adolescent growth spurt. The development of reproductive organs, as well as secondary sex traits including breast expansion in females, beards in boys, and the advent of pubic hairs in general, accompany this growth. Puberty, characterised by the formation of sperm cells in males and ovum and subsequent menstruation in girls, concluded these changes. Adolescents experience both pride and humiliation as a result of the physical changes that follow sexual maturity. According to Ajiboye (2007), adolescence is a time when children acquire heterosexual emotions. This kind of emotion might contribute to a child’s developing a strong attachment to others. This might explain why teenagers desire to go out, participate in social activities, attend religious services, and put on a variety of personal displays. Such adolescent social interactions produce an environment conducive to personal emotions, love, and even sexual intercourse. The sex hormones already in their bloodstreams act as a great force in their bodies, causing them to have sex desires and cravings.
