Why is teenage pregnancy an urban health issue?

We could argue that teen pregnancy is not an urban health issue because it is not an issue caused by urbanization. Teen pregnancy exists in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In fact, as we can see in this link, the percentage of teenaged girls in rural areas who become pregnant is higher than the percentage in either suburban or urban areas. In that sense, teen pregnancy is not an urban health issue but is, rather, an issue for teens everywhere.

If, however, we have to argue that teen pregnancy is an urban health issue, we can do so by looking at the definition of “urban health issue” in the link below. There, we are told an urban health issue is an issue that has to do with “the health status of, and health issues faced by, individuals living within the inner city.” If we use this definition, teen pregnancy is an urban health issue because it affects young women in cities as well as their children. Thus, it affects the health status of individuals living within the inner city.

Teen pregnancy obviously affects the health status of teens who become pregnant.  Pregnancy and childbirth have serious effects on a person’s health.  This is particularly true among poor people in the inner city who might not have access to good prenatal and postnatal care.  Teen pregnancy also affects the health of the child. A child born to a teen who does not get good prenatal care might be less healthy from birth. Teens may be less able to care for their children well (particularly if they are poor), and their child’s health may suffer as a consequence.  These are clearly issues that affect the health status of individuals living in urban areas.  Therefore, teen pregnancy is an urban health issue.

While teen pregnancy is not confined to cities (and is actually less prevalent in cities than in rural areas), it is still an urban health issue because it affects the health status of individuals living in urban areas.