Evaluating and Improving upon Ecuador’s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Policies in an Era of Increased Urgency

Herrán, Keren; Palacios, Iván

doi:10.5334/aogh.3030

Cited by 9 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(1 reference statement)

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“…A summary of all nine selected papers, including author and place of the study, study design, sample size, intervention, and outcomes, is provided in Table 1 . Four of the studies included were qualitative [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], two were quantitative [ 18 , 19 ], one was a policy analysis [ 20 ], one was a program follow-up [ 21 ], and one was a technical report [ 22 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As restrictions were imposed due to COVID-19 in most parts of the world, some countries and international organizations outlined the development of policies on adolescent SRH. Two of the articles [ 14 , 20 ] and one grey literature article [ 22 ] included in this systematic review highlighted the need for policy developments for adolescent SRH. These policies were aimed at supporting the adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown in some countries.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These policies were aimed at supporting the adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown in some countries. Herran and Palacios [ 20 ] mentioned the need for policies that would concentrate on the social and cultural barriers and economic inequalities, with the aim of lessening adolescent pregnancy during the COVID-19 era. This approach by Herran and Palacios [ 20 ] was based on previous situations similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to an increase in the number of adolescent pregnancies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Herran and Palacios [ 20 ] mentioned the need for policies that would concentrate on the social and cultural barriers and economic inequalities, with the aim of lessening adolescent pregnancy during the COVID-19 era. This approach by Herran and Palacios [ 20 ] was based on previous situations similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to an increase in the number of adolescent pregnancies. Similarly, Banati, Jones, and Youssef [ 14 ], in their study, mentioned the need for community-based and culturally focused models directed towards serving the population in the locality.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Meherali

Adewale

Ali

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling with accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and COVID-19 has escalated the problem. The purpose of this review was to identify and assess the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on SRH needs and access to services by adolescents in LMICs. A scoping review was conducted to collate findings on the topic. Searches were performed on eight databases. Data were extracted and categorized into various themes. After removing duplicates and performing a full-text reading of all articles, nine articles were included in our review. Our findings generated several themes related to adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include (1) limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, (2) school closure and increased rate of early marriages, (3) sexual or intimate partner violence during COVID-19, (4) disruption in maternity care, (5) adolescents’ involvement in risky or exploitative work, (6) intervention to improve sexual and reproductive health services during COVID-19, and (7) policy development related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Several recommendations were made on policies—for instance, the use of telemedicine and community-based programs as a way to deliver SRH services to adolescents during and after a pandemic.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Meherali

Adewale

Ali

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…According to Ortiz-Prado et al (2017) , women may still be intentionally terminating their pregnancies despite the ban on abortion by medicating themselves with uncontrolled substances and without proper medical assistance and counseling. This situation is most likely exacerbated by the several unsuccessful programs implemented since 2007 in Ecuador that aimed to reduce teenage pregnancy and improve the quality of sex education rather than implementing policies expanding opportunities for women and girls to safely receive abortions ( Herrán & Palacios, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal sexual empowerment and sexual and reproductive outcomes among female adolescents: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in Ecuador

Quijano-Ruiz¹,

Faytong-Haro

2021

SSM - Population Health

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Background A vast literature has demonstrated that several mother-related variables are positively associated with their daughters’ sexual and reproductive outcomes. One underexplored variable is sexual empowerment––a subdimension of empowerment. In this study, we explore if maternal sexual empowerment is predictive of adolescent daughters’ outcomes like early sexual initiation, teenage pregnancy, and contraception use. Methods This study uses data from the 2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey of Ecuador (Ensanut), a cross-sectional survey in Ecuador that measures health and nutrition. We examine whether mothers’ sexual empowerment––measured as a woman’s autonomy in sexual relationships and her ability to turn down sex and demand contraception use from her partner––is predictive of sexual and reproductive outcomes among female adolescent children. Logistic regression was performed to test this association. Results Results showed that having a mother who lacked sexual empowerment increased the odds of early sexual initiation. Girls who had a mother who had a teenage birth were more likely to experience teenage pregnancy themselves. Conclusions Mothers may influence daughters’ attitudes towards sex through their own demonstration of sexual empowerment. This research demonstrates that a lack of maternal sexual empowerment can be a risk factor of early sexual initiation, teenage pregnancy, and lack of contraception use among female adolescents. More research is needed to confirm the robustness of these results and analyze other forms of sexual empowerment. Limitations Other variables not present in the data, like domestic violence, can be used to understand the sexual activity of young females and maternal sexual empowerment. Social desirability and recall bias are also common forms of bias in surveys regarding sexual activity among adolescents.

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The downstream effects of COVID-19 on adolescent girls in the Peruvian Amazon: qualitative findings on how the pandemic affected education and reproductive health

Woodson,

Garcia Saldivar,

Brown

et al. 2024

BMJ Glob Health

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Due to COVID-19, schools were closed to mitigate disease spread. Past studies have shown that disruptions in education have unintended consequences for adolescents, including increasing their risk of school dropout, exploitation, gender-based violence, pregnancy and early unions. In Peru, the government closed schools from March 2020 to March 2022, declaring a national emergency that affected an estimated 8 million children. These closures may have unintended consequences, including increased adolescent pregnancy, particularly in Peru’s rural, largely indigenous regions. Loreto, located in the Peruvian Amazon, has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the country and poor maternal and child health outcomes. The underlying causes may not be fully understood as data are limited, especially as we transition out of the pandemic. This qualitative study investigated the downstream effects of COVID-19 on adolescent education and reproductive health in Loreto’s districts of Nauta and Parinari. In-depth interviews (n=41) were conducted with adolescents and community leaders. These were held in June 2022, 3 months after the reinstitution of in-person classes throughout Peru. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were also completed with community health workers and educators from the same study area in October 2022 to supplement our findings (3 FGDs, n=15). We observed that the economic, educational and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to reduced contraceptive use, and increased school abandonment, early unions and adolescent pregnancy. The interplay between adolescent pregnancy and both early unions and school abandonment was bidirectional, with each acting as both a cause and consequence of the other.

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Evaluating and Improving upon Ecuador’s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Policies in an Era of Increased Urgency

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Maternal sexual empowerment and sexual and reproductive outcomes among female adolescents: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in Ecuador

The downstream effects of COVID-19 on adolescent girls in the Peruvian Amazon: qualitative findings on how the pandemic affected education and reproductive health

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