Concealed pregnancy among school-going adolescents in South Africa: A qualitative study on risks for maternal and child health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v19i4.46616Keywords:
teenage pregnancy; parental involvement; exercises in pregnancy; school health services; maternal and child healthAbstract
Objective: Concealed pregnancy is a public health concern with risks to girl-education as well as maternal and child health. This paper focuses on concealed pregnancy amongst adolescents attending schools in Limpopo province of South Africa. It defines concealed pregnancy, some reasons for concealment, methods used, partners in crime and implications for girl-education as well as maternal and child health.
Materials and methods: A qualitative and exploratory study using in-depth interviews with 10 pregnant adolescents attending school, five parents and 10 educators on their experiences of caring for pregnant adolescents attending school was conducted.
Results and Discussion: Results show that pregnant adolescents attending school conceal their pregnancies using various methods of keeping a secret, telling a lie, wearing baggy clothing, isolating and hiding among other students in overcrowded teaching spaces. They participate passively in learning activities to evade attention to themselves. Some authority figures such as educators and parents as well as other students are accomplices.
Conclusion: To conceal pregnancies, pregnant adolescents attending schools flout antenatal care, thus increasing risks to women and children’s health. They also show lack of attentiveness to learning activities at school, thus losing chances to achieve an education.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(4) 2020 p.620-624
Downloads
28
43
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish in the Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science agree to the following terms that:
- Authors retain copyright and grant Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science the right of first publication of the work.
Articles in Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License CC BY-4.0.This license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as greater citation of published work.
