Tema records 333 adolescent pregnancies in 2025 despite interventions
Health authorities in the Tema Metropolis have expressed concern over persistent adolescent pregnancies despite ongoing efforts to expand adolescent-friendly health services and reproductive health programmes.
Data presented by the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate at its 2025 Annual Health Performance Review showed that adolescents accounted for about five per cent of antenatal care registrants during the year.
The data revealed that 322 pregnancies were recorded among girls aged 15 to 19, while 11 pregnancies were documented among girls between 10 and 14 years.
Community-level figures also showed varying trends across the metropolis, with some communities recording increases in adolescent pregnancy cases while others registered declines.
Presenting the data, Doris Ocansey, Adolescent Reproductive Health Focal Person for the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, said approximately one-quarter of the adolescent population in the metropolis was reached with adolescent health services in 2025 despite logistical challenges facing health workers.
She described the coverage as a significant achievement given the operational constraints under which health personnel worked.
However, Ms Ocansey noted that adolescent pregnancy remained a major public health concern and called for a better understanding of the factors driving the trend.
“There’s a need to identify the peculiar circumstances and social factors contributing to adolescent pregnancies within the Tema Metropolis to enable stakeholders to implement targeted interventions,” she said.
According to her, efforts are ongoing to address the challenge through intensified adolescent health programmes and community-based interventions aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies and improving reproductive health outcomes.
She stressed that understanding the root causes of adolescent pregnancies would help authorities and partners develop responses tailored to the specific needs of affected communities.
The review also highlighted concerns about declining uptake of family planning services in recent years.
Data showed that family planning acceptor rates in the metropolis dropped from 40.52 per cent in 2022 to 27.86 per cent in 2024, then rose modestly to 31.38 per cent in 2025.
Stakeholders at the review called for intensified public education campaigns, stronger youth-centred reproductive health interventions and improved access to family planning services.
They said such measures were critical to reducing adolescent and unwanted pregnancies while improving reproductive health outcomes across the metropolis.
