An epidemiological perspective of unintended pregnancy amoung South African youth
Date
2006-11-17T11:59:39Z
Authors
Ibisomi, Latifat Dasola Gbonjubola
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Abstract
Unintended pregnancy among the youth is a serious public health problem for it
exposes the young women and the foetuses to higher risk of morbidity and mortality.
Although recognised as a major public health problem, studies on it have been limited
and localised in South Africa. Using the 1998 South African Demographic and
Health Survey (SADHS) data set, this study examines the distribution of and factors
associated with unintended pregnancy among South African youth. The 1998 SADHS
was a nationally representative cross-sectional survey with a probability sample of
twelve thousand (12 000) women between the ages of 15 and 49. The survey used a
structured questionnaire to collect information on fertility issues in general from the
respondents. Analysis was based on 1 395 observations which was arrived at after sub
setting observations of women aged 15-24 that had pregnancy at the time of and/or
three years preceding the survey. Logistic regression model was employed to estimate
the effects of identified predictors on unintended pregnancy.
The results show a high level of unintended pregnancy with only 29% of the
pregnancies wanted. The level of unintended pregnancy varies by region and some
socio-economic variables. Respondents from KwaZulu Natal had the highest
percentage (81%) of unintended pregnancy while North West had the lowest at 56%.
It was also found that the higher the educational level of the respondents, the higher
the incidence of unwanted pregnancy.
Among the respondents using modern method of contraception, 74% reported having
unintended pregnancy while the probability of unintended pregnancy was found to
decrease with increase in age at first intercourse. Overall, about 69% of respondents who reported unintended pregnancy had last sexual relation with their regular
partners, 21% with marital partners and 10% with casual partners. Using stepwise
logistic regression, five critical predictors of unintended pregnancy among South
African youth were identified. These are: age group, region, marital status, education
and relationship to the last sexual partner.
The findings of this study have implications for reproductive health policies and
programs in designing appropriate national programs for reducing the incidence of
unintended pregnancy among South African youth. The need for further research into
this area using triangulated methodology is recommended.
Description
Student Number : 0411802R -
MSc (Med) research report -
Faculty of Health Sciences
Keywords
Unintended pregnancy, morbidity and mortality, South African Demographic and Health Survey, SADHS, effects of identified predictors on unintended pregnancy