Estrategia de unidades de salud familiar: su impacto en la tasa de embarazo en adolescentes en Paraguay

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the Family Health Units Strategy for Primary Health Care in reducing adolescent pregnancy in Paraguay. METHODS: Ecological study that included 18 health regions. Two stages were established (2000-2008 and 2008-2015). The adolescent pregnancy rate was established based on the newborns of adolescent mothers (<20 years) and the total of live births, and the population coverage of primary health care based on the total number of individuals living in areas where the strategy of primary health care was implemented and the total number of inhabitants of the district, for a given year. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used. RESULTS: During the first stage, the percentage variation of the adolescent pregnancy rate in the country was positive at 11.5%, and in stage 2 it was negative at 14.9%. An inverse linear relationship was found between the variables explored (r = −0.654). CONCLUSIONS: After the implementation of the primary health care strategy, there has been a trend towards a decrease in adolescent pregnancy, which can be considered a positive impact even though the result may be influenced by other factors not considered in the study.