News Release

Lower teen pregnancy rates in practices with young female doctors

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

Association between teenage pregnancy rates and the age and sex of general practitioners: cross sectional survey in Trent 1994-7

Teen pregnancy rates seem to be significantly lower in areas with surgeries staffed by young female GPs, suggests research in this week's BMJ.

Hippisley-Cox and colleagues, from the Division of General Practice, University of Nottingham, looked at the numbers of teen pregnancies for each of the 826 general practices in the Trent region between 1994 and 1997. The Trent region has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the UK.

After adjustment for other confounding factors, practices with a female doctor had 91 per cent of the teen pregnancy rate found in other practices. Practices with a doctor under the age of 36 had 84 per cent of the rate, and those with a doctor who was both young and female had 75 per cent of the rate. Surgeries with more practice nurse time also had significantly lower rates. The availability of local family planning clinics did not affect the rates, but deprivation and fundholding status were associated with higher numbers of teen pregnancies.

The authors suggest that their findings might be attributable to the fact that female doctors find it easier to discuss sexual matters and spend longer with patients than their male colleagues, while young doctors may be more interested in teenage health.

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Contact Dr Mike Pringle, Division of General Practice, Queen' Medical Centre, Nottingham and Royal College of Practitioners, London Email: mike.pringle@nottingham.ac.uk


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