Contraception use Among Adolescents Aged 15 to 19 Years and Associated Factors in Zambia
Abstract:
Adolescence is a pivotal stage in one's life, defined by substantial physical, emotional, and social changes. In Zambia, Adolescent pregnancy is a concern and the use of contraception among this population has been relatively low. The study explored the factors influencing contraception use among adolescents. The study used the 2018 ZDHS female dataset. The variables were described using descriptive statistics, relationships between variables were tested using the Pearson Chi-square test and logistic regression was used to identify the factors related with contraceptive use among adolescents at 95% confidence level in Stata version 14.2. This study enrolled 1,564 participants and 24.5% reported using contraception. Married adolescents were three times more likely to use contraception (AOR=2.814; CI= (1.926-4.111); p<0.001). Employed adolescents were 71.3% more likely to do so (OR=1.713; CI= (1.162-2.524); p=0.007). Adolescents in primary (AOR=3.895; CI=1.561-9.718; p=0.004) and secondary (AOR=3.202; CI= (1.227-8.354); p=0.017) had over 3 times higher odds of contraception use compared to those without education. The study unveiled low contraception rates among adolescents, influenced by marital and employment status. Education emerged as a key factor, underscoring the importance of sexual education. Therefore, this highlights the need for tailored interventions and comprehensive sexual education to enhance adolescent reproductive health.
