The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on January 22, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health 2009 19(3):266-270; doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckn143
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Health Behaviours |
Individual and familial factors associated with teenage pregnancy: an interview study
Kai Haldre1,2,3, Kaja Rahu4,5, Mati Rahu4,5 and Helle Karro1
1 University of Tartu, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tartu, Estonia
2 West Tallinn Central Hospital Women's Clinic, Tallinn, Estonia
3 Sexual Health Clinic of the Estonian Sexual Health Association, Tallinn, Estonia
4 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia
5 Estonian Centre for Excellence in Behavioural and Health Sciences, Tallinn-Tartu, Estonia
Correspondence: Kai Haldre, West Tallinn Central Hospital Women's Clinic, Sõle 23, 10614 Tallinn, Estonia, tel: +372 511 2170, fax: +372 670 8065, e-mail: kai.haldre{at}kliinikum.ee
Received June 30, 2008 , accepted December 22, 2008
Background: The determinants of teenage sexual health, including pregnancies, can be addressed from social, familial and individual level perspectives. The main objective of this study was to examine whether pregnancy among 18 years old and younger girls were associated with selected individual (age at coitarche, score of sexual health knowledge, dislike of school) and family (mother's education) and family functioning (alcohol abuse in the family, parents’ acceptance of sexual relationship) characteristics. Methods: An interview survey in two medical institutions in Estonia among 279 18 year old and younger girls, who: (i) used contraception, had been sexually active for at least 6 months and had not pregnancies—(148 girls); (ii) came for termination of pregnancy—abortion group; (iii) planned to deliver and came for prenatal care—delivery group. The last two groups were analysed together as the ‘pregnancy group’—131 girls. Multivariate analysis, by means of logistic regression models, was used to explore whether the associations were sustained after adjusting for other variables. Crude odds ratios (ORs), adjusted ORs and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated, with girls having no pregnancies as the reference group. Results: Risk factors associated with teenage pregnancy were low score of sexual health knowledge (adjusted ORs 3.07; 95% CIs 1.73–5.46), dislike of school (adjusted ORs 1.96; 95% CIs 1.08–3.54), alcohol abuse by family members (adjusted ORs 2.03; 95% CIs 1.16–3.54). Conclusion: Sexual knowledge of teenagers, their attitude towards school, alcohol abuse in the family are factors associated with teenage pregnancies.
Keywords: adolescence, pregnancy, individual factors, familial factors