Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Teenage Pregnancy in Mabutsane, South District, Botswana

Abstract

Despite the availability of ASRH services, teenage pregnancy is still an issue of Public Health concern in Mabutsane Sub District, Southern District, Botswana. The study was conducted in nine villages of Mabutsane Sub District, Sothern District, Botswana. A significant number of teenage pregnancies were reported in the sub district, accounting for 17% of the total ANC attendances in 2017, 2019 and 2020. This raised a question as to whether there were factors accountable for the phenomenon. The aim of the study was to explore factors associated with the occurrence of teenage pregnancy and to find ways of preventing the problem. A quantitative approach using the analytic cross sectional deign was followed. The study was conducted between November 2021 and March 2022 in nine villages of Mabutsane Sub District. A total of 262 female adolescents aged 13 to 19 years and 9 key informants were recruited into the study. Stratified random sampling was applied for teenage girls while key informants were purposively sampled. Structured interviews with the aid of a questionnaire were used for data collection. Results were presented in bar graphs, histograms, pie charts and tables. Analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Even though a majority of respondents 176 (67.2%) have completed secondary school, education was the strongest predictor of teenage pregnancy with an odds ratio of 1.843 indicating that respondents with lower education were twice more likely to fall pregnant than their educated counterparts. Marital status (odds ratio 7.845) and income (odds ratio 2.349) were sufficient and likely predicted association with teenage pregnancy. One hundred and seventy (67.7%) respondents reported awareness of the risks associated with unprotected sex. The distance from home to the clinic negatively affected access to information and services. Two hundred and eighteen (83.3%) believed there was privacy at the clinics, 35 (13.5%) revealed that there was no privacy. The odds ratio for privacy at the clinic (4.834) descriptively implied that provision of privacy at the clinic was 5 times likely to enhance access to information and services at 95% CI for odds ratio .518 lower and 45.078 upper bound. Obtaining informed consent to access ASRHS was negatively significantly associated as a barrier to utilization of services. Two hundred and one (78.8%) respondents felt that health professionals do not uphold confidentiality. Above half (55.6%) of them are not trained to deal with youths. One hundred and seventy nine (69.4%) respondents suggested strengthening of sex education in schools while others (13.2%) advocated for improvement in parent- adolescent communication. Addressing poverty and reflecting youth concerns across SDGs through youth involvement as recommended by the UN (2014) could help control the situation. Sexual and Reproductive Health policies should be revised in consultation with all stakeholders to ensure that they address the needs of adolescents and communities.