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Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
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Teenage pregnancies and abortions in Finland in the 1990s

Elise A.-L. Kosunen

University of Tampere, Medical School, Finland, meelko{at}uta.fi

Andres Vikat

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany

Mika Gissler

STAKES (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Helsinki, Finland

Matti K. Rimpelä

STAKES (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Helsinki, Finland

Aims: This study analyses trends and regional variation in teenage pregnancy, abortion, and fertility rates in Finland in the 1990s, by single-year age group. Methods: Individual-level data from Finnish abortion and birth registers maintained by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) were used to calculate the rates and the abortion ratio. The abortion ratio was also calculated using conception as the time reference. Results: Teenage pregnancy rates and abortion rates reverted from decrease to increase in the mid-1990s. This was accompanied by an increase in the share of teenage pregnancies that ended in an abortion. The increase in abortions started first among older teenagers, and spread gradually to younger girls. Regional variation in the rates remained the same throughout the study period. Conclusions: The observed trends refl ect a change towards less effective use of contraceptive methods among teenagers. There is also evidence of the earlier start of teenage sexual activity at the end of the 1990s. The possible explanations for less effective contraceptive use include cutbacks in healthcare and family planning services in the first half of the 1990s and the reduction of sex education in schools.

Key Words: adolescents • fertility • induced abortion • pregnancy in adolescence • reproductive medicine • reproduction • teenage pregnancy.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 30, No. 4, 300-305 (2002)
DOI: 10.1080/14034940210133942
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