Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
Samuel, M. et al.
287
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors among School
Adolescents of Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia
Samuel Mathewos, Aleme Mekuria
ABSTRACT
OPEN ACCESS
Citation: Samuel Mathewos, Aleme
Mekuria. Teenage Pregnancy and Its
Associated Factors among School
Adolescents of Arba Minch Town,
Southern Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health
Sci.2017; 28(3): 287.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v28i3.6
Received: November 29, 2017
Accepted: December 1, 2017
Published: May 1, 2018
Copyright: © 2018 Samuel Mathewos, et
al . This is an open access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License,
which
permits
unrestricted
use,
distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and
source are credited.
Funding: This research is funded by
Jimma University College of Public
Health and Medical Sciences
Competing Interests: The authors
declare that this manuscript was approved
by all authors in its form and that no
competing interest exists.
Affiliation and Correspondence:
1
Department of Public Health,
Arba Minch College of Health
Sciences, Arba Minch, Ethiopia
*Email:alemmekurishet@gmail.c
om
BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancy has long been a worldwide
social, economic and educational concern for the developed,
developing and underdeveloped countries. Studies on adolescent
sexuality and pregnancy are very limited in our country. Therefore,
this study aims to assess the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and
its associated factors among school adolescents of Arba Minch
Town.
METHODS: Institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted
from 20-30 March 2014. Systematic sampling technique was used
to select a total of 578 students from four schools of the town. Data
were collected by trained data collectors using a pre-tested, selfadministered structured questionnaire. Analysis was made using
SPSS version 20.0 statistical packages. Multivariate logistic
regression was used to identify the predictors of teenage pregnancy.
RESULTS: The prevalence of teenage pregnancy among school
adolescents of Arba Minch Town was 7.7%. Being grade 11 student
(AOR=4.6;95%CI:1.4,9.3), grade 12 students
(AOR=5.8;95%
CI:1.3,14.4), not knowing the exact time to take emergency
contraceptives
(AOR=3.3;95%CI:1.4,7.4),
substance
use
(AOR=3.1;95%CI:1.1,8.8), living with either of biological parents
(AOR=3.3;95%CI:1.1,8.7) and poor parent-daughter interaction
(AOR=3.1;95%CI:1.1,8.7) were found to be significant predictors of
teenage pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed high level of teenage
pregnancy among school adolescents of Arba Minch Town. A
significant number of adolescent female students were at risk of
facing the challenges of teenage pregnancy in the study area.
School-based reproductive health education and strong parentdaughter relationships are recommended.
KEYWORDS: Adolescent, Teenage pregnancy, Risk factors, Arba
Minch, School, Southern Ethiopia
INTRODUCTION
Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood
characterized by significant physiological, psychological and social
changes. However, adolescent girls suffer from a disproportionate
share of teenage pregnancy which is a universal public
healthproblem that affects maternal and child health (1,2).
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Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing is a a
global health and economic challenge nowadays.
Globally, about 18 million adolescent girls
between 15-19 years give birth each year
(adolescent birth rate was 53 births per 1,000
women). Babies born to adolescent mothers
account for 11% of all births worldwide; 95% of
these occur in developing countries (3).
In subSaharan Africa, in the year 2013, 101
births per 1,000 were some of the highest rates of
adolescent fertility in the world (4). Among 14.3
million adolescent girls who gave birth in 2008
worldwide, one of every three was from subSaharan Africa. More than 50% of adolescent girls
give birth by the age of 20 in this region (5).
According to the EDHS 2016, 13% of
women aged 15-19 years in Ethiopia began
childbearing: 10% had a live birth, and 2% were
pregnant with their first child at the time of
interview. The proportion of women aged 15-19
years who began childbearing rose rapidly with
age, from 2% among women aged 15 years to
28% among those aged 19 years (6).
Pregnancy at an early age is risky for the
mother and the baby. Maternal conditions in
adolescents cause 13% of all deaths and 23% of
all Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)
(overall burden of disease due to pregnancy and
childbirth among women of all ages). Moreover,
babies born to adolescents also face a significantly
higher risk of death compared to babies born to
older women (7). Teenage pregnancy is the
biggest killer of young girls worldwide; 1, 000,
000 teenage girls die or suffer serious injury,
infection or disease due to pregnancy or childbirth
every year (8). Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19
years are twice as likely to die from complications
in pregnancy as are women in their twenties. The
youngest girls are particularly at risk; the mortality
rate for those under 15 is four times higher than
for those in their 20s (9).
Teenage pregnancy also has significant long
term social consequences for the adolescents, their
children, their families and their communities; it
led adolescents to less educational attainment and
high school dropout, poor health and poverty. The
children of teenage mothers are also more likely to
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have lower school achievement and drop out of
high school, have more health problems, are
incarcerated at some time during adolescence,
give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment
as a young adult (3,11-13).
Although adolescent pregnancy occurs
among all racial, cultural and socioeconomic
groups, some adolescents are more likely than
others to become pregnant (4). Factors such as
economic status, education, religion, place of
residence, peer’s and partners’ behaviours, family
and community attitudes, age, mass media, lack of
reproductive health services and knowledge are
contributing factors to the increase of unintended
pregnancy among adolescents in Ethiopia (14).
The government of Ethiopia developed strategies
to achieve four major objectives: increasing access
to quality reproductive health services for
adolescents, increase awareness and knowledge
about reproductive health issues, strengthen multisectoral partnerships, and design and implement
adolescent and youth reproductive health
programs. However, teenage pregnancy remains
high in the country (15).
Studies on adolescent sexuality and
pregnancy are very limited in our country
particularly in the South Region. Therefore, this
study was conducted with the aim of assessing the
magnitude and identifying associated factors of
teenage pregnancy among school adolescents of
Arba Minch Town in order to contribute to the
prevention programs by providing up-to-date
information for decision-making and program
implementation.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Study setting: The study was conducted from 2030 March 2014 in Gammo Goffa Zone, Arba
Minch Town, South Ethiopia. According to the
latest national population projection based on the
population and housing census, the total
population of the town is about 103,965 people
(16). The town has four sub-cities named: Secha,
Abaya, Nechsar and Sikela. In the town, there are
eight colleges (private and public), six high
schools and two preparatory schools.
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
An institution-based, cross-sectional study
design was employed among female students in
the age range of between 15 and 19 years from the
four schools in the town. The sample size for the
study was calculated considering 8% prevalence
of adolescent pregnancy (17), 95% certainty and
5% of margin of error between population and
sample with non-response rate of 10%. Therefore,
the total calculated sample size for this study was
578 students. There were 8 schools (2 preparatory
and 6 high schools) in the town. After stratifying
Samuel, M. et al.
289
schools into preparatory and high schools, one
preparatory school and three high schools were
selected randomly. Proportional numbers of
students were assigned to each school and then the
total number of 15-19 years old female students
in each grade level was obtained from the school
administration. A separate sampling frame was
prepared for each grade level of each school.
Then, the final participants were drawn from each
grade level by systematic random sampling
technique (1 in every 5 students) (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Schematic presentation of sampling procedure among schools in Arba Minch town, March
2014(n=578)
Data collection: Seven data collectors (all of
them were college completed individuals working
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in different institutions) and two supervisors were
recruited for data collection and supervision
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respectively. Training on the methods, objectives,
and other technical aspects of the study were
provided to the data collectors and supervisors. A
pre-tested,
structured,self-administered
questionnaire was used to collect the data. The
questionnaire was prepared in English and then
translated into the local language (Amharic), and
then back translated into English language for its
consistency. For the translation and back
translation purpose, we used two different
individuals who speak both English and Amharic
fluently.
In order to ensure the quality of the data,
pretesting of the questionnaire was done in the
same set-up having similar age group but not from
a selected high school. Some unclear and difficult
questions to understand by most of the students
were corrected and rephrased accordingly during
the pretest.
The sitting arrangement of the students was
considered; each student took a single seat with
sparse arrangement of chairs and desks. Then
after, the copies of questionnaire were distributed
among students after short orientation had been
provided. The principal investigator and the
supervisors closely supervised the data collection
process.
Data analysis: Data were analysed using SPSS
V-20 statistical software. Assumptions for logistic
regression and multi-collinearity diagnostics were
checked. Descriptive statistics was used and the
results were displayed using tables. The outcome
variable was dichotomized as 0 = no and 1 = yes.
Binary logistic regression was carried out. Firstly,
bivariate analysis was done to see the crude effect
of each independent variable on the outcome
variable. Only those variables with p-value < 0.25
were selected and entered into multivariate
logistic regression analysis to identify the
independent predictors. Adjusted odds ratio with
its 95% confidence interval was used to identify
factors independently associated with teenage
pregnancy, and p-values < 0.05 were considered
for statistical significance.
Ethical consideration: Ethical clearance was
obtained from Jimma University Ethical Review
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Committee. A formal letter was submitted to the
Education office of the Gammo Goffa Zone and
subsequently to high schools of Arba Minch
Town where the study took place. Written
permissions from the parents of the respondents
were obtained a day before the time of data
collection. Oral and written permissions from the
schools and the respective study subjects were
obtained.
Operational definitions
Ever pregnant: was measured by asking the
respondent “Have you ever been pregnant?’’
which includes pregnancies that ended in live
birth, still birth and abortion. Then, the response
was categorized as 0 = no and 1 = yes.
Emergency contraceptives: As an emergency
measure, women can take special pills to prevent
pregnancy within three days after they have
unprotected sexual intercourse.
Know the exact time to take emergency
contraceptives: individuals who know the exact
time of taking emergency contraceptives (within
72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse)
Do not know the exact time to take emergency
contraceptives: individuals who do not respond
as per above.
Knowledge of fertile period in the menstrual
cycle: Respondents were asked a ‘yes-no’
question, “Do you know the high risk days of
your menstrual period to get pregnant?’’ and
“when are those days in the menstrual period?’’.
Then, the responses were categorized as 1= know
(if she answers the letter of choice that contains
the time 4 days before and after 14th day of her
first menstrual cycle) and 2 = don’t know (if
otherwise ).
Parent-daughter interaction: was measured by
asking the following four questions:
1. Do your parents communicate with you on
issues related to sexuality, love and friendship
openly?
2. Do your either parents know about your love or
sexual partner?
3. Do your parents follow you where and with
whom you stay when you are out of home?
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
4. Do your parents like your love and sexual
relationship with a boyfriend
The median score from the four questions
was computed (i.e.; 1) and levelled as ‘1= poor
interaction (if scored ≤ 1) and ‘2= good
interaction (if scored >1).
RESULTS
A total of 560(96.9%) respondents with complete
information were included in the analysis;
Samuel, M. et al.
291
397(70.9%) were from urban settings. Two
hundred and seventeen (38.8%) of the
respondents were orthodox by religion, and Gamo
was the major ethnic group accounting for
292(52.1%) of the total respondents. With regard
to school type, 349(62.3%) of the respondents
were high school students (grade 9 & 10) while
the remaining, 211(37.7%), were preparatory
school students (grade 11 and 12) (Table 1).
Table 1: Socio-economic characteristics and history of pregnancy among respondents in high school and
preparatory schools of Arba Minch Town, March 2014(n=560).
Variables
School type
High school (349)
Preparatory(211)
Age
15-17
18-19
Religion
Orthodox
Protestant
Muslim
Others
Ethnicity
Gamo
Goffa
Wolita
Amhara
Others
Residence
Urban
Rural
Marital status
Single
Married
Ever been pregnant
Yes
No
260
89
74.5
25.5
42
169
19.9
80.1
137
134
67
11
39.3
38.4
19.2
3.2
80
77
41
13
37.9
36.5
19.4
6.2
196
65
44
19
25
56.2
18.6
12.6
5.4
7.2
98
46
26
19
22
46.4
21.8
12.3
9.0
10.4
237
112
67.9
32.1
155
56
73.5
26.5
334
15
95.7
4.3
164
47
77.7
22.3
10
339
2.9
97.3
33
178
15.6
84.6
Fertility knowledge and pregnancy among
sexually active school adolescents were assessed;
from the total of 124 sexually active students,
43(34.7%) ever had history of pregnancy, and
47(37.9%) of them did not know the fertile days
in their menstrual cycle. Seventy-eight (62.9%) of
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them started sexual intercourse at age of 17 years
and above. Regarding contraceptive use,
68(54.8%) of the respondents had ever used at
least one kind of modern contraceptive. About
37(29.8%) of sexually active students reported
that they used substance (Table 2).
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Table 2: Fertility knowledge and pregnancy among sexually active school adolescents in Arba Minch
town, March 2014(n=124)
Variables
Ever been pregnant
Yes
No
Number
43
81
Know fertile period of the menstrual period
Know correctly
Don’t know
Age at first menses
11-12 years
13-15 years
Age at first sex
16 yrs and below
17 yrs and above
Knowledge of the exact time to take emergency contraceptives
Yes
No
Ever use modern contraceptives
Yes
No
Ever used emergency contraceptives
Yes
No
Life time number of sexual partner
One
More than one
Use alcohol/chat/cigarette
Yes
No
Condom use at sex
No
Sometimes
Every time during sex
We assessed the family and peer level
characteristic of the respondents; about
165(29.5%) of them reported that their mothers
completed secondary education. The majority,
366(65.4%), of the respondents lived with both of
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Percent
34.7
65.3
77
47
62.1
37.9
27
97
21.8
78.2
46
78
37.1
62.9
65
59
52.4
47.6
68
56
54.8
45.2
69
55
55.6
44.4
101
23
81.5
18.5
37
87
29.8
70.2
43
57
24
34.7
46.0
19.3
their biological parents. Three hundred and
twenty-eight (63.2%) of them reported that they
had poor parent-daughter interaction concerning
issues of sexuality, love and pregnancy (Table 3).
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
Samuel, M. et al.
293
Table 3: Family and peer level characteristics of respondents among school adolescents in Arba Minch
Town, March 2014 (n=560)
Variables
Number
Educational status of the mother(n=559)
No formal education
Primary education
Secondary education
College/university education
78
163
165
153
14.0
29.2
29.5
27.3
168
138
106
46
98
30.2
24.8
19.1
8.3
17.6
185
153
131
72
13
33.6
27.8
23.2
13.0
2.4
366
104
90
65.4
18.6
16.0
191
328
36.8
63.2
17
18
14
13
27.4
29.0
22.6
21.0
Occupation of the father(n=556)
Gov’t employee
Merchant
Farmer
Daily labourer
Other
Occupation of the mother(n=554)
Housewife
Gov’t employed
Merchant
Daily labourer
Other
Whom live with(n=560)
Both biological parents
Either of biological parents
neither of biological parents
Parent-daughter interaction(n=519)
Good interaction
Poor interaction
Occupation of the husband(n=62)
Gov’t employee
Merchant
Farmer
Daily labourer
Education status of the husband(n=62)
No formal education
Primary education
Secondary education
College/university education
With regard to the prevalence of teenage
pregnancy, 43(7.7%) of the respondents had
history of pregnancy and only 12(27.9%) of those
pregnancies were wanted. Multivariate logistic
regression analysis was carried out. The overall
significance of the model to predict the
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Percent
8
12.9
17
27.4
24
38.7
13
21.0
probability of teenage pregnancy was checked [2loglikelihood=196.2, model X2=94.1, df=25] and
the overall prediction of the model was 92.8%.
Being 11th and 12th grade levels, substance use
(alcohol/chat/cigarette), not knowing the exact
time to take emergency contraceptives, living
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with either of biological parents, living with
neither of biological parents and poor parentdaughter interaction were found to be significant
predictors of teenage pregnancy in this study.
However, marital status, religious participation,
May 2018
knowledge of fertile period of menstrual cycle
and educational status of the respondents’ mothers
did not show significant associations with teenage
pregnancy (Table 4).
Table 4: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of factors affecting
among school adolescents in Arba Minch Town, March 2014
Variables
Y
Grade level
9th
10th
11th
12th
Age group(yrs)
15-17
18-19
Marital status
Single
Ever married
Religious participation
Strong
Weak
No
Know fertile period in menses
Yes
No
Use alcohol/khat/cigarette
Yes
No
Knowledge of the exact time
to take emergency
contraceptives
Yes
No
Educational status of the
mother
No formal education
Primary education
Secondary education
College/university
Living arrangement
Both biological parents
Either of bio. Parents
Neither of bio. Parents
Parent-daughter interaction
Good
Poor
Ever pregnant(N=560)
Yes (%)
No (%)
COR(95%CI)
teenage pregnancy
AOR(95%CI)
8(4.0%)
9(5.0%)
16(15.2%)
10(13.5%)
193(96.0%)
171(95.0%)
89(84.8%)
64(86.5%)
1
1.2(0.47,3.36)
4.3 (1.8, 10.5)
3.8(1.4, 10.0)
1
1.4(0.81,1.42)
4.6(1.4, 9.3)*
5.8(1.3, 14.1)*
14(4.6%)
29(11.2%)
288(95.4%)
229(88.8%)
1
2.6 (1.4, 5.1)
1
1.1(0.37, 2.71)
31(6.3%)
12(17.4%)
467(93.7%)
50(82.6%)
1
3.6 (1.7, 7.5)
1
1.5(0.55, 3.96)
13(5.1%)
18(7.5%)
12(17.9%)
241(94.9%)
221(92.5%)
55(82.1%)
1
1.5(0.7,3.1)
4.1(1.8, 9.3)
1
1.2(0.61,1.31)
2.21(0.71, 6.85)
29(11.5%)
14(4.6%)
224(88.5%)
293(95.4%)
1
0.3 (0.2, 0.6)
1
0.56(0.25, 1.27)
21(19.4%)
22(4.9%)
87(80.6%)
430(95.1%)
4.7 (2.5, 9.0)
1
3.1 (1.1, 8.8)*
1
19(5.9%)
24(10.0%)
302(94.1%)
215(90.0%)
1
1.8(1.0, 3.3)
1
3.3 (1.4, 7.4)*
10(12.8%)
18(11.0%)
9(5.5%)
6(3.9%)
68(87.2%)
145(89.0%)
156(94.5%)
147(96.1%)
17(4.6%)
12(11.5%)
14(15.6%)
349(95.4%)
92(88.5%)
76(84.4%)
8(4.2%)
33(10.1%)
*Significant at P <0.05
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3.6 (1.3,10.3)
3.0(1.2,7.9)
1.4(0.8,1.3)
1
1
2.7(1.2, 5.8)
3.8(1.8, 8.0)
183(95.8%)
1
295(89.9%) 2.6(1.2, 5.7)
1.9(0.55, 6.74)
1.3(0.28, 6.07)
1.3(0.45,4.51)
1
1
3.3(1.2, 9.5)*
3.1 (1.1, 8.7)*
1
3.7 (1.3, 10.2)*
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
DISCUSSION
Teenage pregnancy is one of the most
unfavourable and usually unplanned outcomes of
adolescents’ sexual activity. Teens are initiated to
engage in unprotected sex early in life so that they
are exposed to young parenthood. Many teens that
become pregnant have to leave school; this has a
long-term implication for them as individual, their
family and their community. The prevalence of
sexual activity in this study was 124 (22.1%).
This finding is consistent with studies conducted
among school adolescents of two towns of
Ethiopia: Gondar (23.5%) and Nekemt (21.5%).
However, slightly lower than the findings from
Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey
(EDHS 2011) report and a study conducted
among school adolescents of Ilorin, Nigeria. The
findings in these studies were 24.2% and 28.2%
respectively(20-21). The discrepancy may be due
to methodological variations: EDHS included
adolescents in the community whereas this study
focused only on high school adolescents.
Furthermore, Socio-cultural difference is there
with the case of Ilorin, Nigeria. Although the
Ethiopian government has been working on
sexual and reproductive health issues with
especial focus on the youth (including teenagers)
in schools and community at large, the current
study has shown that a high number of school
teenagers were practicing sexual intercourse and
are still at risk of teenage pregnancy.
The overall prevalence of teenage pregnancy
in this study was 43(7.7%). This finding is
comparable with the finding from EDHS 2011
report of Southern Ethiopia Region which was
7.9% ( 20).
The prevalence of teenage pregnancy among
sexually active students in this study was 34.7%.
This finding is comparable to the national figure
reported by EDHS in which 34% of women were
either mothers or pregnant with their first child by
the age of 19 (20). The fiding in the current study
a study is also inlines with the finding in Nigeria
where 31.6% of adolescents who ever had sex
experienced teenage pregnancy. However, it is
much higher than the study conducted in the same
country in Ilorin, Central Nigeria, among high
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Samuel, M. et al.
295
school adolescents in which case only 5.7% of
those sexually active female students had
experienced teenage pregnancy (21). These
variations may be due to the difference in age
range of study populations as the study in Nigeria
included adolescents of 10-19 years old whereas
this study included those in the age range of 15-19
years (the probability of being pregnant is higher
in the late adolescence stage than in early
adolescence stage).
Regarding the factors contributing to teenage
pregnancy, students from grades 11 and 12 were
more likely to become pregnant compared to the
students from grades 9 and 10. This finding is
comparable with studies conducted in USA and
Nekemt, Ethiopia, among school adolescents. In
these studies, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy
was generally increasing with increasing grade
level (grades 9-12)(19,22). Other studies reported
the inverse relationship between educational
attainment and teenage pregnancy rate-the more
years of schooling, the fewer early pregnancies
(7,23,24). However, the finding from this study
contradicts this-adolescents in higher grade levels,
11th and 12th, were significantly more likely to
experience pregnancy than those in grades 9 and
10. This might be due to the longer stay at school,
the higher exposure and probability of getting
sexual relation among higher grade level students
than lower grade students.
Substance is a gateway for risky sexual
behaviours among adolescents which results in
teenage pregnancy with consequent health and
social implications. Because it constitutes a
deviation from conventional behaviour, it is
regarded as problem behaviour (25). Adolescents
who used substance (alcohol/chat/cigarette) were
more likely to experience teenage pregnancy
compared to those who did not use. This finding
is supported by the finding from a systematic
review from the European Union Countries and a
study conducted in South Africa which revealed
that substance use was significantly associated
with teenage pregnancy (26-27). This could be
attributed to substance use or being under the
influence of substance may influence the
adolescent students to unrealistically appraise the
situation and also impair their verbal as well as
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physical resistance against unprotected sexual
intercourse. Hence, the risk of teenage pregnancy
is high.
The fact that having knowledge of the exact
time when to take contraceptives prevents
unwanted pregnancy is strongly supported by the
finding from this study. The probability of
experiencing pregnancy among those who know
the exact time of emergency contraceptives was
about 6%, but it was 10% for those who do not
know. The odds of being pregnant was about
three times much higher among adolescents who
do not know the exact time when to take
emergency contraceptives than among their
counterparts. According to the report by WHO,
lack of knowledge about sex and family planning
and lack of skills to put that knowledge into
practice put adolescents at risk of pregnancy (7).
In this study, the risk of teenage pregnancy
among adolescents who were living with either of
biological parents and neither of their biological
parents was higher as compared to those who
were living with both biological parents. This
result is in line with studies conducted among
adolescents in Mechakal District, Ethiopia, a
study from USA and a WHO report which
showed that living with both biological parents
has a protective effect on the occurrence of
teenage pregnancy (17, 28-29). The reason could
be that teens that live with biological parents are
guided and get support and follow-up from their
families so that they are under fence of protection
that minimizes their chance of exposure to sexual
experiences. Moreover, biological parents are
highly responsible for their children’s adoption of
safer behaviours.
Parents play a critical role in the growth,
development and sexual socialization of their
children. Parental involvement through parentchild sexual communication presents education
about sex and reproductive health to young
people. Moreover, it promotes adolescents’ selfesteem, transfer of sexual values, beliefs,
information and expectations to their children
with the aim of influencing sexual behaviours,
attitudes and decision-making of their children to
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v28i3.6
May 2018
prevent risky behaviours and teenage pregnancy
(30-33).
In this study, adolescents who were living in
poor parent-daughter interaction conditions
regarding issues of sexuality, love and pregnancy
were 3.7 times more likely to experience
pregnancy compared to those who lived under
good parent-daughter interaction conditions. This
finding is supported by a study in conducted
British Columbia which reported that parentdaughter interaction concerning sexuality and
reproductive health was significantly associated
with teenage pregnancy (34). The possible
explanation could be that female students who
have good parent-daughter interaction may get
good opportunity to have free discussion about
sexuality and reproductive health issues thereby
transfer of life skill is possible to protect
themselves from teenage pregnancy.
Our study has limitations. From the very
nature of the study, it assesses personal and
sensitive issues related to sexual behaviours
which might have caused underreporting of
teenage pregnancy experiences. Thus, the findings
of this study should be interpreted within these
limitations.
In conclusion, the prevalence of teenage
pregnancy among school adolescents is high to
cause reproductive health and socio-economic
challenges to adolescents in the study area. Being
11th and 12th grade student, substance use, not
knowing the exact time to take emergency
contraceptives, living arrangement and poor
parent-daughter interaction were found to be
significant predictors of teenage pregnancy.
Special emphasis particularly in the areas of
parent-daughter communication on the issues of
sexuality and reproductive health, benefits of
contraceptive use, and risk of substance use
(alcohol, chat and cigarette smoking) are
recommended.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are very thankful to Jimma University
College of Public Health and Medical Sciences
for the financial support. Our special thanks go to
the study participants for their response and time
Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors…
to complete the questionnaire. Last but not least,
we would like to thank the school directors of
Arba Minch Town for arranging time and place
for data collection.
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