Adolescent Motherhood in Uganda

Maternal mortality remains one of the most daunting public health problems in resource limited settings. Maternal health services play a critical role in the improvement of sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially for adolescent mothers. Adolescence is a time of rapid change and transition that can be stressful and difficult. Pregnancy can further complicate this period. In Uganda, morbidity and mortality among adolescent mothers and their children are high. In order to better understand this situation, four studies were conducted with the following objectives: to describe experiences and problems of pregnant adolescents; to describe health seeking behavior and analyze coping responses of adolescents during pregnancy, delivery and early motherhood; and to compare health seeking practices of adolescents and adult mothers during pregnancy and early motherhood.