Adolescent pregnancy in Africa: a programmatic focus.

An increasing age of marriage coupled with high rates of premarital sexual activity have caused notable changes in the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies in much of the developing world. In Africa, local policy makers are beginning to perceive the medical implications of these changes as the youth component of illicit abortion, maternal mortality, and sexually transmitted disease becomes more visible. Other social issues, which include school leaving, unemployment, violence and drug abuse, are emerging among the young people of Africa as elsewhere. A successful approach to these problems will require a multi-disciplinary perspective of the adolescent with professional contributions from the arenas of health, behavior, education and sociology. This report stresses the thesis that adolescents constitute a unique sub-population whose special needs must be recognized in Africa; strong institutional facilities are required, backed by committed advocates and leadership for the youth sector. Programs initiated in Kenya and Zimbabwe serve as useful models for other African locales.