March 24th – In Guáimaro, one in every five births corresponds to girls and boys of mothers aged between under 15 and 19 years old, a proportion slightly lower than the provincial average, but higher than the national average.
The high incidence of pregnant teenagers in the easternmost municipality of Camagüey raises concerns about the need for greater multisectoral efforts from family units, educational and health centers, and community factors for the prevention of early motherhood, due to the risks it poses to both mother and baby.
Although much remains to be done, the work of the Education and Health sectors in the area in guiding young people toward healthy sexuality shows encouraging results at the Guáimaro Urban Pre-university Institute (IPU) Assembly, a school that reports a decrease in the number of pregnant students of school age.
In this regard, the psychopedagogue Oderay Suárez Rivero highlights among the main actions carried out by the school: the Responsible Maternity and Paternity Campaign, educational talks led by specialized medical personnel, and the systematic analysis of the topic in group assemblies, also emphasizing methods to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
The early onset of intimate relationships, as well as the insufficient preparation of adolescents to assume the consequences of this decision, represent the most frequent causes of pregnancy at an early age.
Incidentally, science confirms the advisability of pregnancy after the age of 20, when appropriate physical and psychological development has been reached for conception, childbirth, and child-rearing.
(Photo: Cubadebate Archive)
