Determinants of unplanned pregnancy among young women of age (15-24) years in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

The objective of the study was toexamine the determinants of unplanned pregnancy among women (15-24) years in Eastern Uganda. The assessment was made on place of residence, highest level of education, wealth index, religion and know of contraceptive use. I used secondary data from UDHS 2016, based on a sample of 1065 women (15-24 years) who have ever had pregnancy from Eastern Uganda. Frequency distribution, chi-square tests, and logistic regressions were used to examine the determinants of unplanned pregnancy. Morethan half (55%) of young women who had unplanned pregnancy had knowledge on contraceptive use in Eastern Uganda. Unplanned pregnancy was associated with age at first sex, place of residence and wealth index. Young women of age less than 19, women who reside in rural areas, and those who belong to the wealth index of poor, had higher risks of getting unplanned pregnancy. Reproductive health services such as family planning should be made available to every female (15-24) years in Eastern Uganda. This will help the sexually active females to prevent unplanned pregnancy. Adolescents should also be sensitized about sexuality and growth to prevent them from engaging in risky sexual behaviors that would lead to unplanned pregnancy.