Implications for practice and research

• Individual experiences of the autonomous reproductive choices and pregnancy outcomes of teenagers should be heard

• It is morally and economically justified to analyse the effectiveness of public health interventions.

• Whole country public health interventions should be scrutinised to minimise repetition of costly mistakes.

• A range of measures and a whole systems perspective is required in the analysis and evaluation of effect.

Context

Teenage pregnancy is a global issue in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries, and is associated with suboptimal health outcomes for both the mother, baby and family. Social deprivation, health inequality and educational disadvantage are considered among causative factors and outcomes; therefore, targeting the teenage pregnancy rate is a public health priority. Public Health England’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS), which ran for …