Background: Teenage pregnancy in Zambia has continued to be a public health concern with 17% of women beginning their sexual activity before 15 years, and 69% before 18 years. 34% having given birth before 18 years and 29% between 15-19 years. Previous studies have outlined factors leading to teenage pregnancy as: low/no contraception use, poverty, poor sexual education and a bad parental relation. Due to the impact of teenage pregnancy (low birth weight, premature deliveries, and severe neonatal conditions, this study was undertaken with the aim of determining the prevalence and factors associated with an increase in teenage pregnancies in Chikupili village, Luano district-central province.
Method: A cross sectional design was used. The village was divided into clusters and simple random sampling was used to select 384 participants. A questionnaire tailored with both open and closed ended questions was used after informed consent had been granted by the participant. The statistical method used was the descriptive statistical analysis and Chi Square test method. The data was later entered and analyzed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 26.
Results: Out of the calculated sample size 384 a total of 384 individuals answered the questionnaire making the response rate to be 100%. The majority were female (n=278, 72.4%) while only 106 (27.6%) males took part in the study. Their ages ranged, with the highest frequency being among those 20 and below (210,54.7%), this study determined the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in Chikupili-Luano district to be 167 (48.8%), there was a correlation between age when first pregnant and marital status when first pregnant (p-value=0.036). This study determined that 69% of the participants had good knowledge regarding contraception and 70.7% of respondents had a good relationship with their parents. Correlations were found between the age when first pregnant and; marital status during first pregnancy (p value-0.036), sex of participant (0.000), age of participant (0.000). Another correlation was found between the relation level with parents and age of participant (0.000), level of education (p-value=0.02) and marital status during first pregnancy (p-value 0.000). On knowledge levels and relationship with parents, a correlation with p-value 0.03 was found. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of teenage pregnancy still remains high in Chikupili-Luano district despite the knowledge levels of contraception use and relationship with guardians being good. Other approaches can be taken such as ensuring girls getting educated to improve their education levels and providing better facilities for them to socialize and take part in social activities.
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