Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:06:05.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ASSESSING THE PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF ADOLESCENTS' UNINTENDED PREGNANCY AND INDUCED ABORTION IN OWERRI, NIGERIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2010

CHUKWUNENYE IHEANACHO OKEREKE
CHUKWUNENYE IHEANACHO OKEREKE
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This study examines the prevalence and determinants of adolescents' unintended pregnancy and induced abortion in Owerri, Nigeria. A pre-coded questionnaire was used to obtain information from 540 female adolescents of mean age 15.8 years. In addition, four FGDs were held with female adolescents in selected localities and in-depth interviews held with fifteen health-care service providers. Almost all the adolescents (99.8%) were Christians, with 70.3% being Catholics and 68.2% living with their parents. Over half (57.2%) of the adolescents had had sex. Contraceptives were rarely used owing to deep-seated cultural values. The data show that 31.6% of those who had ever had sex had an unintended pregnancy. Of these, 78.9% had recurrent pregnancies and 20.2% had an abortion. Of the latter, 41.8% had a recurrent abortion and 72.7% a post-abortion problem, for which 70.2% never sought treatment, increasing the risk of infertility in later life. The abortion seekers mostly went to patent medicine operators. A more acceptable and cost-effective contraceptive campaign involving use of local vernacular and traditional/local opinion leaders should be explored.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 42 , Issue 5 , September 2010 , pp. 619 - 632
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adegbenro, C. A. (1999) Socioeconomic and health consequences of unwanted pregnancy in Nigeria: a time to act. Nigerian School Health Journal 11(1&2), 60–65.Google Scholar
Arowojolu, A. & Adekunle, A. O. (1999) Knowledge and practice of emergency contraception amongst Nigerian youths. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 66(1), 31–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, G. (1992) Adolescent Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa: Strategies for a New Generation. International Forum on Adolescent Fertility, Arlington, Virginia, USA.Google Scholar
Basden, G. T. (1938) Niger Ibos. Seeley, Service and Co. Ltd, London.Google Scholar
Blanc, A. K. & Way, A. A. (1998) Sexual behaviour and contraceptive knowledge and use in developing countries. Studies in Family Planning 29(2), 106–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bledsoe, C. H. & Cohen, B. (1993) Social Dynamics of Adolescent Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. National Academies Press, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. & Cohen, B. (1998) Adolescent reproductive behaviour in the developing world. Studies in Family Planning 29(2), 99–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bosompra, K. (1987) Sources of health information among rural dwellers in Africa: a case study of two Ghanaian villages. Africa Media Review 2(1), 1020–1133.Google Scholar
Boult, B. F. & Cunnigham, P. W. (1995) Some aspects of obstetrics in black teenage pregnancy: a comparative analysis. Medicine and Law 14(1–2), 93–97.Google ScholarPubMed
Centre Francais Sur la Population de le Development (CEPED) (1997) Sexuality of Adolescents in the Sahel (la sexualite des adolescents au Sahel). Chronique Du Ceped 25, 1–6.Google Scholar
Clark, S. (2004) Early marriage and HIV risks in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies in Family Planning 35(3), 149–160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Echeruo, M. J. C. & Obiechina, E. N. (eds) (1971) Igbo Traditional Life, Culture and Literature. Conch Magazine Ltd, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Fadipe, N. A. (1970) The Sociology of the Yoruba. Ibadan University Press, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Federal Ministry of Health (2009) Price List for Contraceptives, 2009. Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Fieldman-Savelberg, P. et al. (2000) Sterilizing vaccines or the politics of the womb: retrospective study of a rumour in Cameroon. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14, 159–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hof, C. & Richters, A. (1999) Exploring intersections between teenage pregnancy and gender violence: lessons from Zimbabwe. African Journal of Reproductive Health 3(1), 58–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson-Hanks, J. (2002) On the modernity of traditional contraception: time and the social context of fertility. Population and Development Review 28(2), 229–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kebede, A. (1992) Implementing a development communication project: a descriptive study of the communication support to health project in Ethiopia. Africa Media Review 6(2), 57–65.Google Scholar
Lapido, O. A. (1989) Preventing and managing complications of induced abortion in third world countries. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 3, 21–28.Google Scholar
Lema, V. M., Makokha, E. E., Sanghui, H. C. & Wanjala, S. H. (1991) A review of the medical aspects of adolescents' fertility in Kenya. Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology of Eastern and Central Africa 1, 37–43.Google Scholar
Levin, E. (1996) Menstrual management and abortion in Guinea West Africa. Paper presented at the IUSSP Conference on Social-Cultural and Political Aspects of Abortion from an Anthropological PerspectiveTrivandrum, India.Google Scholar
McCauley, A. P., Salter, C. & Kiragu, K. et al. (1995) Meeting the needs of young adults. Population Reports Series J 41, 1–39.Google Scholar
McQuillan, K. (2004) When does religion influence fertility? Population and Development Review 30(1), 25–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mamdani, M., Garner, P. & Harpharm, T. et al. (1993) Fertility and contraceptive use in poor urban areas of developing countries. Health Policy Planning 8(9), 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mensah, B. S., Grant, M. J. & Blanc, A. K. (2006) The changing context of sexual initiation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Population and Development Review 32(4), 699–727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moronkola, O. A. & Idris, O. M. (2000) Sexual health knowledge, determinants of sexual behaviour and use of contraceptive among female secondary school in Ibadan, Nigeria. Nigerian School Health Journal 12(1&2), 27–35.Google Scholar
National Population Commission (1998) The 1991 Nigerian Population Census. National Population Commission, Lagos, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2003) Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2003. National Population Commission and ORC Macro, Calverton, MD, USA.Google Scholar
Ogundele, B. U. & Oluwasanmi, A. O. (1999) Sexual health knowledge, attitude and practice of selected secondary school students in Abeokuta metropolis. Nigerian School Health Journal 11(1 & 2), 90–97.Google Scholar
Okonofua, F. E. (1994) Induced abortion: a risk factor for secondary infertility in Nigerian women. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 14, 272–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Okonofua, F. E., Snow, R. C. et al. (1995) Prevalence and Risk Factors for Infertility in Nigeria. Technical report presented to the Ford Foundation, New York.Google Scholar
Oladepo, O. (1999) An overview of adolescent reproductive health research and interventions in Nigeria. Nigerian School Health Journal 11(1&2), 41–51.Google Scholar
Olatunbosun, O. A. & Okonofua, F. E. (1986) Ectopic pregnancy: the African experience. Postgraduate Doctor (Africa) 8(3), 74–78.Google Scholar
Oloko, P. & Omoboye, A. U. (1993) Sexual networks among some Lagos State adolescent Yoruba students'. Health Transition Review 3, Supplement, 151–157.Google Scholar
Olusanya, P. O. (1971) The problem of multiple causation in population analysis, with particular reference to the Polygamy-Fertility Hypotheses. Sociological Review 19(2).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orhue, A. A., Unuigbe, J. A. & Ogbeide, W. A. (1989) Contribution of previous induced abortion to tubal ectopic pregnancy. West African Medical Journal 8, 257–263.Google ScholarPubMed
Persaud, V. (1994) The sexual health needs of adolescents which are threatened by the lack of service worldwide. West Indian Medical Journal 43(2), 33.Google ScholarPubMed
Senanayake, P. (1990) Adolescent fertility. In Wallace, H. M. & Giri, K. (eds) Health Care of Women and Children in Developing Countries. Third Party Publishing Co., Oakland, CA.Google Scholar
Talbot, P. A. (1967) Tribes of the Niger Delta: Their Religions and Customs. Frank Cass & Co. Ltd, London.Google Scholar
UNICEF (2001) Early Marriage: Child Spouses. UNICEF, Innocenti Research Center, Innocenti Digest 7, Florence.Google Scholar
Uwakwe, C. B. U., Moronkola, O. A. & Ogundiran, A. (2001) Awareness, prevalence of STDs and health-care seeking behaviour of adolescents attending STDs clinics in urban Nigeria. Nigerian School Health Journal 13(1&2), 147–152.Google Scholar
Zabin, L. S. & Kiragu, K. (1998) The health consequences of adolescent sexual and fertility behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies in Family Planning 29(2), 210–232.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed