Support good for teen mums

FILE

A study that found health system barriers for young Maori mothers trying to access timely contraception may be true in other parts of the country, but not Rotorua, according to one expert.

Dr Tania Pinfold, clinical leader for Rotovegas Youth Health, said health providers in Rotorua worked hard to reduce barriers to access for all young people.

The study from the University of Otago, Wellington, found there are health system barriers for young Maori mothers when trying to access timely contraception.

The study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, looked specifically at contraception before and after pregnancy and aimed to identify any barriers and facilitators to contraception for Maori teenage mothers.

Dr Pinfold said they knew from studies that young people wanted services that were free, accessible, non-judg-mental and culturally appropriate.

"Post-natal contraception is very important, and young Maori need to feel supported and welcomed as much as other young people. By having access to free and non-judgmental contraception consultations, young women are more likely to seek contraception if this is what they want."

She said Rotovegas Youth Health regularly reviewed local attendance data and the percentage of young Maori attending the service was greater than their percentage of the local population.

Dr Pinfold said there were also local iwi organisations providing healthcare to young people, as well as local high school clinics, which had proven effective at improving access for those seeking health consultations.

"In general, our attendance data and our pregnancy data suggest that we are doing pretty well at meeting the needs of young Maori women."

Lead author Dr Bev Lawton, from the Women's Health Research Centre, said it was important for teenage mothers to have timely and equal access to contraception so they can make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. She said the research showed many experienced clinical and service delays, financial barriers and negative contraception side effects, and that needed to be addressed.