Teen pregnancy rates fall in city

Health chiefs believe a city-wide campaign in schools is responsible for the drop.

The sex education programme was launched in a bid to rid Southampton of its unwanted title as one of the country's worst teenage pregnancy black spots.

Despite the fall the city still has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the south.

The number of young women under the age of 18 in the city who fell pregnant in 2003 stood at 58.5 per thousand compared with the 2002 figure of 67.4 per thousand, according to the Hampshire-based Office for National Statistics.

That compares with a national figure of 42.1 per thousand in 2003.

The number of abortions carried out in the city is lower than that for the south.

Research by Southampton City Primary Care Trust's teenage pregnancy unit also reveals that there is a strong connection between teenage pregnancy, poor school attendance and low educational attainment.

The city also has a higher proportion of lone parent families than the national average.

City bosses need to reduce the conception rate in under 18s by 55 per cent by 2010 to hit government targets and to increase the number of young parents in education, employment or training to reduce the long-term risk of social exclusion. Health chiefs say the fall in the rate of teenage pregnancies was due to a city-wide education campaign in Southampton's schools highlighting the dangers of unprotected sex and early sexual activity among youngsters.

Teachers were also being made more aware of how to spot youngsters at risk from early pregnancy.

The city's director of public health, Dr Andrew Mortimore, said: "We have had a programme across a number of fronts for several years now.

"The key thing we are doing is working with colleagues in schools to improve sex and relationship education for young people.

"We are also trying to ensure we have in place a range of services to support young people who are sexually active."