Monitoring teenage pregnancy in Hull: bespoke local data trump ONS statistics.

©FSRH J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2008: 34(2) Background The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has set a target of halving the pregnancy rate of women under the age of 18 years and of establishing a firm downward trend in the pregnancy rate of women aged under 16 years.1 Progress toward achieving this target is measured both nationally and locally by monitoring teenage pregnancy statistics, produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from induced abortion notifications and birth registrations. Spontaneous and illegal abortions are not included. ONS release conception statistics for under-16 and under-18 age groups. The date of conception is estimated as the date of outcome minus number of days of gestation (Box 1) for abortions and stillbirths, and the date of birth minus 266 days (38 weeks) for live births. A woman’s age at conception is calculated as the number of completed years between her date of birth and the date she is estimated to have conceived. The postcode of the woman’s address at time of birth or abortion is assumed to be the same as the postcode at the time of conception. Conception statistics are available for England & Wales, England, Government Office Regions and Local Authorities.2