Teenage pregnancy in Prachuap Khiri Khan remains a health, education and social challenge
Prachuap Khiri Khan authorities have reviewed the province’s teenage pregnancy situation, highlighting the need for continued collaboration between health, education, and social sectors to address the issue.
At the Rajapak meeting room of the Provincial Public Health Office on 6 August, Deputy Provincial Public Health Doctor Jarurat Phatthong chaired the second meeting of the year of the provincial subcommittee on preventing and resolving teenage pregnancy. Representatives from health, education, labour, and social welfare agencies attended.
Figures presented showed that from 2017 to 2025 there were 276 births to mothers under 20 years old, including 19 cases aged 10–14. About 41% of these mothers were students, and 34% were unemployed. Almost half of the pregnancies were linked to contraceptive failure, while 31% involved no contraception, and 21% were intentional. Less than half of the young mothers completed their education after giving birth.
Deputy Provincial Public Health Doctor Jarurat Phatthong.
From January to July 2025, the province recorded 328 cases of sexually transmitted infections, with the highest incidence among people aged 15–24. In the current fiscal year, 93 suicide attempts have been reported, 36 of which were among people aged 10–19, most of them students. Relationship break-ups and family problems were the leading causes. Drug-related cases numbered 1,982, including 58 young people aged 12–18.
In education, there are 95,642 students enrolled across 300 institutions, but the province has recorded 615 school dropouts this year. Social surveys found that about one in four families were categorised as at risk, and over 5,000 teenage mothers from low-income households were receiving the Newborn Child Support Grant.
Under the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act, B.E. 2559 (2016), agencies reported progress in five development areas: improving sex education and life skills; promoting family and community involvement; enhancing youth-friendly health services; strengthening care and protection systems; and integrating data and research.
Initiatives include sexual health education programmes in schools, community family relations projects, workplace awareness campaigns, youth-friendly service assessments at hospitals, and social welfare support for adolescent parents.
Officials said that tackling teenage pregnancy requires coordinated action, noting the links between health, education, economic opportunity, and social stability. The meeting concluded with plans for continued capacity building, awareness campaigns, and monitoring of provincial data.