Perception Of In-school Teenagers On Teenage Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a major medical and socioeconomic burden in both the developed and developing countries. One third of the abortions performed yearly and 80% of abortion-related complications in Nigeria occur in adolescents. This study was conducted to assess the perception of teenagers in secondary school on teenage pregnancy.
Methods:  The study is a descriptive cross sectional study involving teenagers in senior secondary classes of Ikeja High School, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Results: A total of 250 teenagers were recruited. The mean age was 15.1±0.4 years while the mean age of sexual debut was 15.4 years. Majority of participants were aware of teenage pregnancy and felt that lack of parental guidance was the major predisposing factor to teenage pregnancy. About 73% of the respondents were sexually active. Although majority were aware of the modern contraceptive methods, only 9.9% of the sexually active teenagers used contraceptives consistently. The fear of making others aware of their sexual activities was the major reason for the non-utilization of contraceptives.
Conclusion:  There is a need for strong parental support and the establishment of more youth-friendly services in Lagos State.

Keywords: Teenagers, adolescent, Contraceptive, Teenage Pregnancy