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. 2022 Dec 29;20(1):605.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010605.

The Effects of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Adolescent Pregnancy in Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria

Augustine Lambonmung  1   2 , Charity Asantewaa Acheampong  3 , Uma Langkulsen  1
Affiliations

The Effects of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Adolescent Pregnancy in Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria

Augustine Lambonmung et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

There is a high incidence of adolescent pregnancy in West Africa. The objective of this study is to highlight the health impacts of adolescent pregnancy through a systematic review. A search was conducted in the electronic databases of Google, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, EBSCO, CINAHL, Web of Science, African Journals Online (AJOL), and the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) Program. The study found anemia, complications of pregnancy, obstetric and gynecological risks, unsafe abortions, and psychological effects to adversely impact the health of adolescent girls in Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria. Pregnancy could be deleterious to the health and well-being of adolescent girls in various forms. In addition, adolescent pregnancy could expose adolescent girls to gender-based violence, exclusions, and inequities, be detrimental to upholding women's sexual and reproductive health rights, and could also have implications for Sustainable Development Goal 3. Targeted interventions to prevent pregnancy in young women and mitigate these effects by stakeholders are encouraged.

Keywords: SDG 3; West Africa; adolescent pregnancy; health and well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of search results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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