Abstract
ObjectivesWe examined the association between incorrect knowledge of ovulation and unintentional pregnancy and child among young women in sub-Saharan Africa countries.MethodsUsing Pearson’s Chi-square, t test, multiple logistic regression, and likelihood ratio test, we analyzed Demographic and Health Survey data (2008–2017) of 169,939 young women (15–24 year).ResultsThe range of prevalence of incorrect knowledge of ovulation was 51% in Comoros and 89.6% in Sao Tome and Principe, while unintentional pregnancy ranged between 9.4% in the Republic of Benin and 59.6% in Namibia. The multivariate result indicates a strong association between incorrect knowledge of ovulation and unintentional pregnancy (OR = 1.17; p < 0.05) and unintentional child (OR = 1.15; p < 0.05).ConclusionsAdolescent women (15–19) generally have poor knowledge of ovulation and are more likely to report an unintentional pregnancy/child than women between ages 20–24. To reduce the burden of unintentional child/pregnancy in Africa, fertility knowledge should not only be improved on but must consider the sociocultural context of women in different countries that might affect the adoption of such intervention programs. Pragmatic efforts, such as building community support for young women to discuss and share their experiences with professionals and educate them on fertility and sexuality, are essential.
Highlights
About 16 million adolescents (15 to 19 years) and nearly one million girls less than 15 years of age give birth every year, worldwide (World Health Organization 2018)
Objectives We examined the association between incorrect knowledge of ovulation and unintentional pregnancy and child among young women in sub-Saharan Africa countries
This study has improved the current understanding of the relationship between incorrect knowledge of ovulation and the prevalence of unintentional pregnancy among young women in Africa
Summary
About 16 million adolescents (15 to 19 years) and nearly one million girls less than 15 years of age give birth every year, worldwide (World Health Organization 2018). Not all are unintentional and unwanted, adolescent pregnancy remains a social as well as a public health concern (Sedgh et al 2015). Teenage pregnancy is highest in African countries, and ‘‘teenage marriages are a larger factor than unwanted conceptions in many of the countries with the most teen pregnancies’’ (Burton 2017). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ‘‘unintended or unwanted pregnancy is a core concept for understanding the fertility of populations’’ (CDC 2015). Many reproductive health research on adolescents and youth tend to overlook the importance of understanding the fertility window or ovulatory phase with an unintentional pregnancy and tend to focus on the use of contraception (Morris and Rushwan 2015; Kost et al 2017)
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