Predictors of Pregnancy Timing among Women in the Reproductive Age attending Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

Maternal age during pregnancy has an influence on the pregnancy outcome. The objective of the study was to investigate the predictors of pregnancy timing among women in the reproductive age attending maternal and child health clinics in Kajiado Central Sub-county. The study employed a cross-sectional analytical study design that used a quantitative approach for data collection. A total of 248 systematically selected women attending maternal and child health clinics participated. The Chi-square test was used to analyze the association between the independent and dependent variables; P < 0.05 was considered significant. Data analysis was based on the USAID recommendation that, to prevent the adverse maternal and child health outcomes; women should delay the first pregnancy until at least the age of 18 years. The predictors of pregnancy timing were found to be; study participant’s formal education level (χ2 = 47.493; df = 4; p = 0.000), spouse formal education level (χ2 = 39.399; df = 4; p = 0.000), study participant’s occupation (χ2 = 22.966; df = 6; p = 0.000), spouse occupation (χ2 = 16.429; df = 5; p = 0.006), female genital mutilation (χ2 =22.757; df = 1; p = 0.000) and spouse approval (χ2 =15.234; df = 1; p = 0.000). The study concludes that there were individual and sociocultural factors that influence the age at which pregnancies occurred. Therefore, the need for reproductive health care stakeholders to design, plan and implement interventions with consideration to the predictors of pregnancy timing.