Factors contributing to adolescent pregnancies at Hillside and Chipata day secondary schools in Chipata district

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy is a worldwide problem which has assumed endemic proportions among the teenagers especially in the poorer nations. This problem is a multifaceted problem as it involves social, political, cultural, educational and economical factors. Zambia’s maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate according to Zambia Demographic Health Survey for 2013-2014 are 398/ 100 000 and 66/ 1 000 respectively. According to Panday et al 2009, because of the physiological risks associated with early childbirth, and the risk to the overall wellbeing of the mother and their children, decreasing adolescent fertility is identified as one of the indicators to monitor progress in achieving the millennium development goals four and five. A descriptive cross section study design was used. Data was collected from February to April 2015 from participants who meet the enrolment criteria. A self administered questionnaire will be used to obtain socio-demographic data and knowledge on pregnancy. The data collected were entered directly into data editor of SSPS version 22.0 software statistical package so as to obtain a data set. Statistical data was presented using frequency tables, cross tabulation tables, histograms, pie charts and graphs. Chi square test was used for statistical significance. A p-value of 0.05% and odds ratio (95% CI) was set. The findings of the study showed that marital status, having a boy friend, having unprotected sexual intercourse and not accessing family planning services were strongly associated with factors contributing to adolescent pregnancies in these two schools. The findings of the study were presented to the School of Nursing Sciences, The Ministry of Education, The University of Zambia library, The Ministry of Health and participants. The findings will then be published in the Peer reviewed journal.