Strategies for resolving aboriginal adolescent pregnancy in eastern Taiwan

Adolescent pregnancy has become a main issue in the health care system for aborigines in eastern Taiwan. Using aboriginal nurses to provide information on sexual behaviour may have potential as a means of promoting healthy sexual practices among aborigines. Aim. To explore aboriginal nurses' perspectives on strategies for resolving the high prevalence rate of Aboriginal adolescent motherhood in eastern Taiwan.

A qualitative research design was employed and intensive individual interviews and focus groups were conducted among a convenience sample of aboriginal nursing staff in eastern Taiwan. Content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Nine strategies were identified. They can be divided into family, school and society aspects. The family aspect included 'enhancing parents' sex education' and 'enhancing the understanding of older people about sex education in villages'. The school aspect included 'enhancing sex education in school', 'offering interrelationship courses for adolescents', 'offering gender issue courses for adolescents' and 'enhancing school teachers' sex education training'. The social aspect included 'advocating the sense of family in church', 'advocating social norms in church' and 'discussing appropriate sexual behaviour in adolescent church fellowships'.

Health care providers can design intervention programmes to reinforce the ability of family, school and society to deliver sex education. In addition, training and cooperating with Aboriginal nurses to execute these programmes may also decrease teenage pregnancy rates in the future.