Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Higher numbers from more deprived areas
Half of under-16 pregnancies in Lanarkshire result in terminations.
Of the 42 pregnancies among girls aged 13 to 15, there were 20 deliveries and 22 terminations.
Out of the 243 pregnancies among females aged 15 to 17, there were 127 deliveries and 116 terminations.
And of the 654 pregnancies among those aged 15 to 19, there were 376 deliveries and 278 terminations.
The government figures also divide Lanarkshire into five levels of deprivation.
Out of the 243 pregnancies among 15 to 17-year-olds, a total of 104 came from the most deprived category.
Another 80 came from the next most deprived category, followed by 27 in the middle category. No girls aged under 18 delivered babies from the two least deprived categories in Lanarkshire.
The report says: “There is a strong correlation between deprivation and teenage pregnancy.
“Deprivation area is calculated using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) which is an area-based measurement of multiple deprivation.
“Areas are divided into five groups, each consisting of approximately 20 per cent of the population, with decreasing levels of deprivation in each.”
It adds: “Teenage pregnancy rates have decreased in recent years and this has occurred across all levels of deprivation.
“In 2016, the teenage pregnancy rate in Scotland was 31.6 per 1000 women; however, rates varied depending on where a woman lived. Moving through the five deprivation areas from most to least deprived, the rate of teenage pregnancy decreased with each area of reduced deprivation.
“Those living in the areas of highest deprivation had pregnancy rates five times higher than those in the least deprived areas.
“Those aged under 20 and living in the most deprived areas are more likely to deliver than to terminate their pregnancy.
“In contrast, those living in the least deprived areas are more likely to terminate their pregnancy.”