Teenage Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors among School Adolescents of Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancy has long been a worldwidesocial, economic and educational concern for the developed,developing and underdeveloped countries. Studies on adolescentsexuality and pregnancy are very limited in our country. Therefore,this study aims to assess the prevalence of teenage pregnancy andits associated factors among school adolescents of Arba MinchTown.METHODS: Institution-based, cross-sectional study was conductedfrom 20-30 March 2014. Systematic sampling technique was usedto select a total of 578 students from four schools of the town. Datawere collected by trained data collectors using a pre-tested, self-administered structured questionnaire. Analysis was made usingSPSS version 20.0 statistical packages. Multivariate logisticregression was used to identify the predictors of teenage pregnancy.RESULTS: The prevalence of teenage pregnancy among schooladolescents 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 emergencycontraceptives(AOR=3.3;95%CI:1.4,7.4),substanceuse(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 ofteenage pregnancy.CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed high level of teenagepregnancy among school adolescents of Arba Minch Town. Asignificant number of adolescent female students were at risk offacing the challenges of teenage pregnancy in the study area.School-based reproductive health education and strong parent-daughter relationships are recommended.KEYWORDS: Adolescent, Teenage pregnancy, Risk factors, ArbaMinch, School, Southern Ethiopia