Background
When adolescent girls in Malawi become pregnant, they receive the same type of health care as adult pregnant women. Adolescents are a vulnerable group who often experience a wide range of problems associated with growing up, together with the added burden of pregnancy. The regular pregnancy health care does not always meet the needs of pregnant adolescent, which means there is a need for health services designed specifically for young people.

About the project
This project was created to improve the quality of care given to pregnant adolescents at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi. This was done by providing pregnant adolescents with regular health education, individual counselling and health assessments to identify possible complications related to their pregnancy. The project team also worked towards the goal by ensuring that adolescents with pregnancy complications were referred to a doctor and those without social support were referred to a social worker or relevant NGO.

Results
28 pregnant adolescents (aged 16-19) were cared for during the five-month project implementation. These young people reported that the most helpful part of the project was the health education they were given. Minor pregnancy disorders, signs and symptoms of labour, preparation for labour and pain management were some of the topics that they found useful. The adolescents were also happy that they were given information separate from the adult women in the clinic. One of them said: “I benefited a lot receiving care as a group of adolescents because information and questions were discussed freely”.

Year 2006