Children who become parents: a challenge to physicians

Adolescent pregnancy is a major adolescent health concern in the United States today, yet physicians often lack the knowledge and time to care properly for pregnant adolescents. this study examined the health concerns of pregnant adolescents and the ways in which the modern medical system deals with those concerns. Interviews with adolescents and health care workers in rural and urban neighborhoods showed that many adolescents are unaware of certain important personal matters that affect their health; the same holds true for some of those who work with these young people. All too often physicians are not trained to deal with many of the problems they encounter with pregnant adolescents. Many of the problems and concerns associated with adolescent pregnancy which directly affect the medical well-being of the mother and baby are not considered traditional medical problems: family experiences, superstitions, folk beliefs, culturally sanctioned interests, eating and sleeping habits. For the physician to successfully care for the adolescent mother and her child, these important concerns must be understood and addressed.