Abstract
Adolescent fertility levels have shown considerable improvements globally over the past decades. However, adolescent childbearing remains high in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, thus, examines the levels and socioeconomic factors associated with adolescent fertility in Ghana. The study drew on data from the 2003, 2008, to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys to perform a logistic regression analysis of socioeconomic factors associated with adolescent fertility. The results show that adolescent childbearing levels have not shown any considerable improvements over the study periods (10%, 10%, and 11% for 2003, 2008, and 2014, respectively). Socioeconomic factors such as household wealth status, working status, employer status, and employment period were associated with adolescent fertility. Female adolescents from poor households, employed and self-employed adolescents, as well as regular workers, were linked to higher adolescent fertility risks. Older adolescents, and ever married adolescents also show significantly higher childbearing risks while the risk levels steadily increased over time. Promoting economic empowerment among female adolescents and targeting employed female adolescents in fertility control measures may have considerable positive implications for adolescent fertility levels in Ghana.
Highlights
Adolescent fertility—childbearing during adolescence—remains a topic of global concern
The study, sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the levels of adolescent fertility in Ghana from 2003 to 2014? (2) Are socioeconomic characteristics associated with adolescent fertility levels? The findings provide a better understanding of the role of socioeconomic disparities in adolescent childbearing levels and help to appropriately shape policy directions in adolescent fertility regulation in Ghana
Adolescent fertility levels have not shown any evidence of a decline in Ghana and childbearing odds appear to increase significantly over time among women aged 15–19
Summary
Adolescent fertility—childbearing during adolescence—remains a topic of global concern. 1000 women aged 15–19 in 1990–1995 to 46 per 1000 women aged 15–19 in 2010–2015 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division [DESA] 2017) Despite this ongoing global success, adolescent fertility still appears to be more prevalent in the developing world, where about 10% of female adolescents give birth annually, as against below 2% in the developed world (Population Reference Bureau 2013). In sub-Saharan Africa, the adolescent fertility rate remains the highest, at 104 births per 1000 women aged 15–19 (DESA 2019). In Ghana as well, the rate remains high, estimated at 62 births per 1000 women aged 15–19 (Population Reference Bureau 2013, DESA 2017), which is considerably higher than the global average of 46 per 1000 female adolescents. About half of the pregnancies leading to these births in developing countries were said to be unintended, and more than half of these were said to end in abortion, unsafe abortion (Darroch et al 2016)
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