Socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria: evidence from Demographic Health Survey
Article
Article Title | Socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria: evidence from Demographic Health Survey |
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ERA Journal ID | 13449 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Okoli, Chijioke Ifeanyi (Author), Hajizadeh, Mohammad (Author), Rahman, Mohammad Mafizur (Author), Velayutham, Eswaran (Author) and Khanam, Rasheda (Author) |
Journal Title | BMC Public Health |
Journal Citation | 22, pp. 1-11 |
Article Number | 1729 |
Number of Pages | 11 |
Year | 2022 |
Publisher | BioMed Central Ltd. |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 1471-2458 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14146-0 |
Web Address (URL) | https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-14146-0 |
Abstract | Background: Despite the high rate of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria and host of negative medical, social and economic consequences that are associated with the problem, relatively few studies have examined socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy. Understanding the key factors associated with socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy is essential in designing effective policies for teenage pregnancy reduction. This study focuses on measuring inequality and identifying factors explaining socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria. Methods: This is a cross sectional study using individual recode (data) file from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey. The dataset comprises a representative sample of 8,423 women of reproductive age 15 – 19 years in Nigeria. The normalized Concentration index (Cn) was used to determine the magnitude of inequalities in teenage pregnancy. The Cn was decomposed to determine the contribution of explanatory factors to socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria. Results: The negative value of the Cn (-0.354; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.400 to -0.308) suggests that pregnancy is more concentrated among the poor teenagers. The decomposition analysis identified marital status, wealth index of households, exposure to information and communication technology, and religion as the most important predictors contributing to observed concentration of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria. Conclusion: There is a need for targeted intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy among low socioeconomic status women in Nigeria. The intervention should break the intergenerational cycle of low socioeconomic status that make teenagers’ susceptible to unintended pregnancy. Economic empowerment is recommended, as empowered girls are better prepared to handle reproductive health issues. Moreover, religious bodies, parents and schools should provide counselling, and guidance that will promote positive reproductive and sexual health behaviours to teenagers. |
Keywords | Teenage pregnancy, Socioeconomic inequalities, Concentration curve, Concentration index, Decomposition analysis, Nigeria |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 420699. Public health not elsewhere classified |
Byline Affiliations | School of Business |
Dalhousie University, Canada | |
College for Indigenous Studies, Education and Research | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q7v02/socioeconomic-inequalities-in-teenage-pregnancy-in-nigeria-evidence-from-demographic-health-survey
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