... to promote positive outcomes. Pregnant teenagers are more likely to leave education without any qualifications (Molina et al., 2004) which prevents them from getting a job to support their child, become dependent on benefits and live in government funded housing in deprived areas. Being on state benefits and lacking knowledge about cooking may result in teen mother providing nutritionally poor readymade meals for their children and affecting their health. Children of teenage mothers are also more likely to develop behavioral and learning problems, take part in regular smoking and alcohol consumption and be involved in crime (Shaw, Lawlor & Najman, 2006). Teenagers also have a lack of experience which affects their parenting skills. A study by McClure-Martinez and Cohn (1996) showed that teenagers were less likely to act correctly in dangerous situations compared to adult mothers. This is further supported by previous studies which showed that the children of teenagers are more ...

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