Abstract
Early marriage and childbearing have led to Bangladesh having the highest adolescent fertility rate in the Asia Pacific region. Adolescent pregnancy is correlated with pregnancy-related complications, preterm delivery, delivery of low-birth weight babies, and spousal violence. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in four urban slums (two intervention and two control areas) of Dhaka from July 2014 to August 2016 to assess the effectiveness of a married adolescent girls club (MAG club) in reducing the unmet need for family planning (FP) among married girls between the ages of 14 and 19 (n = 1601, 799 in intervention and 802 in control areas). The percentages of the targeted population using any modern method of contraception were significantly higher among respondents in the intervention areas than those in the control areas (72.6% versus 63.5%). The unmet need for FP was significantly lower among respondents in the intervention areas than that of the control areas (16.2% versus 20.7%). The MAG club was a well-received strategy to provide comprehensive information on FP, which in turn helped improve contraceptive method practices and reduced the unmet need for FP among married adolescent girls in urban slums in Bangladesh. The government could leverage its existing resources to expand the MAG Club model in rural parts of the country to achieve the targets outlined in its Adolescent Reproductive Health Strategy.
Highlights
With a fertility rate of 128 births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 19, Bangladesh has the highest adolescent fertility rate in the Asia Pacific [1]
One-third (32.3%) of the respondents in the intervention areas were involved in income-generating activities, which was greater than the percentage participating in these activities (14.8%) in the control areas
OR: 3.42) higher than in the control areas when holding all other covariates constant (Table 5). This quasi-experimental study was designed to assess the effectiveness of an innovative intervention, the married adolescent girls’ club (MAG club), to see whether there were differences in the knowledge of, attitude towards, and utilization of contraceptive method practices among two groups of married adolescent girls in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Summary
With a fertility rate of 128 births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 19, Bangladesh has the highest adolescent fertility rate in the Asia Pacific [1]. The girls are often pressured by family members to prove their fertility, which results in early, undesired pregnancies [3]. Adolescent pregnancy is correlated with pregnancy-related complications, preterm delivery, low-birth weight babies, and spousal violence [4]. A higher proportion (19%) of unintended pregnancies (UP) result in abortion when conceived within one year of marriage [5]. The broader social consequences for these girls include lower educational attainment, limited ability to partake in income-generating activities, higher overall fertility rates, and marital and familial difficulties [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call