Teenage pregnancy has been a national phenomenon, especially in third world countries due to poverty, lack of education and other social problems.

However, recent survey reveals that Britain is now becoming a country with higher precentage of teenage pregnancy than any country in Europe. But why do teenagers prefer to be mothers instead of education?

Teenagers who leave school early are less likely to practise safe sex and are more likely to become pregnant, a major study suggests.

The national Survey of Sexual Attitudes and lifestyles 2000 (Natsal 2000) also found a strong correlation between family background, underage sex and teenage pregnancy.

Details of survey published in this week's issue of "The Lancet" reveal that one in four women and nearly a third of men have sex before they are 16, the legal age of consent.

The study found that those who receive sex education at school were less likely to have intercourse before 16 and were likely to use contraception.