How successful was the English teenage pregnancy strategy? Response to Wellings K, Palmer MJ, Gear RS et al. Changes in conceptions in women younger than 18 years and the circumstances of young mothers in England in 2000-12: an observational study

摘要

Kaye Wellings and colleagues' paper (Aug 6, p 586)1 and accompanying Comment2 ascribe the fall in teenage pregnancies in England since 1998 to the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy published in 1999. Unlike the interim assessment by the same authors,3 the paper draws no parallels with other UK countries, but a comparison with trends in conceptions among 15–17 year olds in Wales and Scotland raises questions about how far the fall can be attributed to the strategy (figure).4,5