Adolescent pregnancy has significant health and socio-economic consequences for women, their families and communities. Efforts to prevent too-early pregnancy rely on accurate information about adolescents’ knowledge, behaviours and access to family planning, however available data are limited in some settings. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reports are recognised as providing nationally representative data that are accessible to policymakers and programmers.

A recent publication in Reproductive Health reviewed DHS reports for low – middle income countries in East Asia and the Pacific to determine what information regarding adolescent fertility and family planning is available. The publication summarised key findings.

The project found that while DHS reports provide useful and accessible data, they are limited by the failure to report data for unmarried adolescents. They also do not report age-disaggregated data for some indicators. Further research is required to better understand the barriers that both married and unmarried adolescents face accessing reproductive health.

The project was conducted by the Burnet Institute on behalf of Compass: the Women’s and Children’s Health Knowledge Hub (www.wchknowledgehub.com.au), a partnership between the Centre for International Health at the Burnet Institute, the Centre for International Child Health at the University of Melbourne, and Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. The AusAID funded initiative aims to improve the effectiveness of aid for women’s and children’s health, with an emphasis on equitable progress towards Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Adolescent health is a key thematic area, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. Two of the authors (Dr Mick Creati and Dr Peter Azzopardi) hold positions at the Centre for Adolescent Health.

Click here to read the article in Reproductive Health 2011