A 68 per cent increase in the use of contraceptives by Jamaican adolescents has translated into less teen pregnancies over the last 10 years, according to the National Family Planning Board (NFPB).

But while those results are encouraging, there are still concerns about teens engaging in prostitution, the early age at which some teenagers have their first sexual experience, and the fate of young girls who do not return to school after they become pregnant.

“Four per cent of those in schools sell sex to get money. four per cent of our adolescents are exchanging sex for money,” said the NFPB’s Dr Olivia McDonald.

The consultant obstetrician/gynecologist gave a presentation, yesterday, at the 19th Blue Cross Annual medical Symposium which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

According to Dr McDonald, the mean age for first-time sexual contact is 15 years, even though some studies have revealed that teens engage in sexual activity much earlier.

Yesterday, she also disclosed that 80 per cent of adolescents’ pregnancies are planned while a third of those pregnancies occur while the teens are in the formal education system. She noted that a handful of these pregnancies occur before the female reaches the age of 12.

However, only a third of the teens who get pregnant go back to school.

“And that does not augur well for the education system,” Dr McDonald stressed.

She was encouraged, however, by the increased condom use that the NFPB’s studies revealed, a factor which she said would help “control the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)”.

“Adolescent rate fertility has declined after the increasing trend that we have been observing since 1989, contraceptive use is increasing and, even more significantly, condom use,” she said.

But she conceded that there was still much more to be done to ensure more consistency in condom use.

“Although condom use is still increasing, it’s obviously not being used correctly and consistently because births are down but the proportion of the adolescents reporting having been pregnant has been increased,” she explained. “So that suggests that although they are using the methods, they are not using them either correctly and/or consistently. So we must continue the programmes that we have embarked on (with) a renewed thrust.”

Yesterday’s symposium was held under the theme “Adolescent Health: The Challenge”. In addition to teen pregnancy, discussions focussed on other issues affecting adolescents including obesity and nutrition, mental health and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among teens.