Young pregnant woman navigating a complex healthcare system.

Teen Pregnancy & Healthcare: Are Young Moms Getting the Support They Need?

Soraya Malik in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research spotlights gaps in prenatal care for adolescents, revealing how primary health attributes impact access and quality."

Teenage pregnancy presents a unique set of challenges, both for the young mothers and the healthcare systems designed to support them. While rates have declined in some areas thanks to focused family planning initiatives, the biological, social, and emotional complexities surrounding adolescent pregnancies require comprehensive and tailored care.

A key framework for providing this care is Primary Health Care (PHC), which emphasizes values like accessibility, integrality (comprehensive services), longitudinality (consistent care over time), and coordination between different parts of the health system. When PHC works well, it ensures that young pregnant women receive not just medical attention, but also the social, emotional, and educational support they need.

But how well are healthcare systems actually delivering on these PHC principles when it comes to adolescent prenatal care? A new study dives into this question, evaluating the experiences of young mothers in health units and assessing the extent to which PHC attributes are present. The findings reveal critical gaps and highlight opportunities to improve care for this vulnerable population.

The Study: Unpacking Primary Health Care for Teen Moms

Young pregnant woman navigating a complex healthcare system.

Researchers in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, conducted a quantitative study to evaluate prenatal care services for adolescents, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil (PCATool-Brazil) to measure the presence and extent of PHC attributes. The study involved health professionals working directly with adolescent prenatal care in various health units, including Basic Health Units (BHU), School-Based Health Centers (SBHC), and Family Health Units (FHU).

The core attributes assessed were:

Access to First Contact (Accessibility): How easily can adolescents access the services they need?
Longitudinality: Is there ongoing, consistent care from a trusted healthcare team?
Coordination (Integration of Care): How well are different services (medical, social, emotional) connected?
Integrality: Are all the adolescent's needs being addressed, not just the medical ones?

The results showed a mixed picture. While attributes like Longitudinality, Coordination, and Integrality generally scored well (≥6.6, indicating a strong presence), Access to first contact consistently scored low (≤6.6). This suggests that while the care itself might be good once a young woman is in the system, getting into the system in the first place is a significant hurdle.

The Bottom Line: What Needs to Change?

This study underscores the importance of not just having healthcare services available, but making them truly accessible and welcoming to young pregnant women. The low scores for "Access to first contact" highlight a critical area for improvement.

The researchers suggest that expanding the reach of Family Health Units and providing ongoing training for healthcare professionals are key strategies. This training should focus on:

<ul><li>Improving communication and creating a welcoming environment.</li><li>Actively listening to and understanding the unique needs and cultural context of each adolescent.</li><li>Collaborating with other sectors to provide comprehensive support.</li></ul> By addressing these gaps, healthcare systems can better support young mothers and improve outcomes for both them and their children.

About this Article -

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/0104-1169.3035.2390, Alternate LINK

Title: Prenatal Care For Adolescents And Attributes Of Primary Health Care

Subject: General Nursing

Journal: Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Maria Cristina Barbaro, Angelina Lettiere, Ana Márcia Spanó Nakano

Published: 2014-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is Primary Health Care (PHC), and how does it specifically support adolescent mothers?

Primary Health Care, or PHC, emphasizes key principles like accessibility, integrality, longitudinality, and coordination to provide comprehensive support. For adolescent mothers, PHC aims to ensure they receive medical attention, social support, emotional care, and educational resources. When PHC is effectively implemented, it holistically addresses the unique challenges faced by young pregnant women. Without robust PHC frameworks, adolescent mothers may experience fragmented care, leading to unmet needs and poorer health outcomes.

How was the evaluation of prenatal care services for adolescent mothers conducted, and what tool was used to assess Primary Health Care (PHC) attributes?

The recent study used the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil (PCATool-Brazil) to evaluate the presence and extent of Primary Health Care (PHC) attributes in prenatal care services for adolescents. Researchers focused on the core attributes of Access to First Contact (Accessibility), Longitudinality, Coordination (Integration of Care), and Integrality. PCATool-Brazil provided a structured way to quantify the presence and strength of these attributes within the healthcare units studied.

What were the key findings of the study regarding Primary Health Care (PHC) attributes in adolescent prenatal care?

The study found that Longitudinality, Coordination, and Integrality generally scored well (≥6.6), indicating a strong presence in the healthcare units studied. However, Access to First Contact consistently scored low (≤6.6), suggesting that while the care itself is good once an adolescent mother is in the system, getting into the system initially presents a significant challenge. This discrepancy highlights a critical area for improvement in making healthcare services more readily available and welcoming to young pregnant women.

What does the low score for 'Access to First Contact' tell us about the challenges adolescent mothers face in getting prenatal care?

The low scores for Access to First Contact indicate a significant barrier for adolescent mothers in receiving timely prenatal care. This suggests that factors like geographical distance, lack of transportation, inconvenient clinic hours, stigma, or lack of awareness about available services may be preventing young women from seeking early prenatal care. Addressing this gap requires targeted interventions to improve accessibility, such as outreach programs, mobile clinics, extended clinic hours, and community-based education initiatives. Ignoring this means increased risks for both mother and child.

What specific steps can be taken to improve 'Access to First Contact' for adolescent mothers seeking prenatal care, based on the study's implications?

Implementing strategies to enhance Access to First Contact is crucial. This could involve establishing more Basic Health Units (BHU), School-Based Health Centers (SBHC), and Family Health Units (FHU) in underserved areas, implementing transportation assistance programs, offering flexible appointment scheduling, and conducting outreach campaigns to raise awareness about available services. Additionally, addressing stigma and creating a welcoming environment can encourage more young women to seek early prenatal care. Failure to prioritize these improvements risks perpetuating health disparities and hindering positive outcomes for adolescent mothers and their children.