Factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy during covid-19 in Uganda: a study of Bugiri Municipal Council in Bugiri District.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy during covid-19 in Uganda: a study of Bugiri municipal council in Bugiri district. The study was guided by three objectives which are to find out the effects of COVID-19 on the vulnerability of girls, to establish the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among girls attending adolescent friendly clinic during COVID-19 lock down and extended closure of schools, and finally to understand the reasons that contributed to the spike in cases of teenage pregnancy. The study used a cross sectional research design with both qualitative and quantitative research methods which help to gather information on the factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy during COVID-19 lockdown. The sample size of the study was 66 and six members who participated in a key informant interview these were selected using purposive sampling method. Questionnaires and interview guides were generated to collect the required data that was later analyzed using simple frequencies and percentages, using Statistical Package for social scientist (SPSS). Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data from interviews and key informant interviews. The study findings highlighted that the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic is largely responsible for the dramatic increase in the numbers of teenage pregnancy in Bugiri town. This is coupled with the harsh economic stress, anxiety as well as lack of access to family planning services including idleness. Additionally, the study findings shows that during the pick of the pandemic and extended countrywide lockdown, there were over 60 girls who got pregnant as a result of the extended closure of schools. Finally, the study suggests social workers should feature in the media more often. Social workers should engage in television and radio talk shows as well as present dramas that enlighten people on the menace of teenage pregnancy, the factors that promote teenage pregnancy as well as its adverse contribution to the economic state of the country.