Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada

Inequities related to teen pregnancy are a complex social and health problem across the globe. Evaluation of research assumptions can help to move research forward when considering complex public health issues. Drawing on previous critical reviews, this scoping review sought to map not just what tee...

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Main Authors: Sherri Dutton, Mir Sanim Al Mamun, Colleen M. Davison
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Societies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/1
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author Sherri Dutton
Mir Sanim Al Mamun
Colleen M. Davison
author_facet Sherri Dutton
Mir Sanim Al Mamun
Colleen M. Davison
author_sort Sherri Dutton
collection DOAJ
description Inequities related to teen pregnancy are a complex social and health problem across the globe. Evaluation of research assumptions can help to move research forward when considering complex public health issues. Drawing on previous critical reviews, this scoping review sought to map not just what teen pregnancy research is available, but how current public health research was orienting to teen pregnancy in Canada. This review included studies focused on general or intended teen pregnancy within a public health Canadian context. Both grey and peer-reviewed literature were searched, with only studies in English and French included. In total 32 studies were analyzed. Taking a multifaceted approach to assessing research orientation this scoping review applied an adapted health equity framework to consider alignment between awareness and action and utilized discourse analysis to explore constructions of pregnancy intention. Results showed although a portion of research fell within the acknowledge and illuminate categories, most of the research utilized public health language rooted in biomedical and individualistic discourses and focused on influencing individual action, rather than greater societal change. Adding to the growing body of teen pregnancy research in Canada, this scoping review revealed potential epistemological barriers related to limited research approaches, applied public health action, and engagement with topic overall, leading to a call for more diverse, critically reflective, and disruptive approaches to teen pregnancy research in Canada to address teen pregnancy-related inequities at the root.
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spelling doaj-art-fb6eeee31663457ca044fca6c2ab10d32025-01-24T13:49:33ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982024-12-01151110.3390/soc15010001Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in CanadaSherri Dutton0Mir Sanim Al Mamun1Colleen M. Davison2Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaInequities related to teen pregnancy are a complex social and health problem across the globe. Evaluation of research assumptions can help to move research forward when considering complex public health issues. Drawing on previous critical reviews, this scoping review sought to map not just what teen pregnancy research is available, but how current public health research was orienting to teen pregnancy in Canada. This review included studies focused on general or intended teen pregnancy within a public health Canadian context. Both grey and peer-reviewed literature were searched, with only studies in English and French included. In total 32 studies were analyzed. Taking a multifaceted approach to assessing research orientation this scoping review applied an adapted health equity framework to consider alignment between awareness and action and utilized discourse analysis to explore constructions of pregnancy intention. Results showed although a portion of research fell within the acknowledge and illuminate categories, most of the research utilized public health language rooted in biomedical and individualistic discourses and focused on influencing individual action, rather than greater societal change. Adding to the growing body of teen pregnancy research in Canada, this scoping review revealed potential epistemological barriers related to limited research approaches, applied public health action, and engagement with topic overall, leading to a call for more diverse, critically reflective, and disruptive approaches to teen pregnancy research in Canada to address teen pregnancy-related inequities at the root.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/1scoping reviewpublic healthteen pregnancyhealth equitycritical researchdiscourse analysis
spellingShingle Sherri Dutton
Mir Sanim Al Mamun
Colleen M. Davison
Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
Societies
scoping review
public health
teen pregnancy
health equity
critical research
discourse analysis
title Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
title_full Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
title_fullStr Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
title_short Exploring Teen Pregnancy as a Public Health Problem: A Critical Scoping Review of Public Health Research on Teen Pregnancy in Canada
title_sort exploring teen pregnancy as a public health problem a critical scoping review of public health research on teen pregnancy in canada
topic scoping review
public health
teen pregnancy
health equity
critical research
discourse analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/1
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