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 health problem that affects maternal and child health (1,2).
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 sub-Saharan 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 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.
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