Determinants of Adolescent Pregnancy in Uganda: A secondary Analysis of 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey

Abstract

In Uganda adolescent pregnancy is considered a serious public health problem, one in for adolescents are pregnant or have had their first child. The objective of this research is explore the determinants of adolescent pregnancies in Uganda. The results were expected to provide valuable information for further in-depth research on adolescent’s pregnancies, as well as inform Ugandan policy makers and intervention planners. Methods - This study used secondary data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Healthy Survey data set. A total of 18506 women were interviewed from which 4276 women between (15-19) years where obtained. Data was analyzed using Stata 13(64-bits) into frequency tables using actual tallies and percentages and association between the dependent and independent variables was tested using logistic regression. Ethical approval was sought from the Demographic health survey program before conducting the study. Results The study identified Sociocultural, demographic and Economic factors, wealth index, religion, non-use of contraceptives, place of residence, educational status and access to contraceptives as determining factors of adolescent pregnancy. Results showed that the biggest proportion (42.4%) of the respondents were coming from poor income households, majority were Catholics (41.2%). The adolescent pregnancy was high for girls aged 19 years, who had no education, residing in rural areas and were from Eastern region. Conclusion: High levels of adolescent pregnancies in Uganda are attributable to multiple factors, the study, however, categorized these factors; demographic sociocultural and economic, individual as influencing adolescent pregnancies. Community sensitization, comprehensive sexuality education, strict regulations about child marriages and ensuring girls enroll and stay in schools could reduce adolescent pregnancy rates. Also, provision of adolescent-friendly health services in schools and healthcare centers and initiating adolescent empowerment programs could have a positive impact.