Adolescent fertility and the characteristics of adolescent mothers in Kisii district

Abstract

This study is an investigation into adolescent fertility and the characteristics of adolescent mothers in Kisii district. The study used data obtained from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey data conducted in 1993. The principal methods of analysis employed in the study are cross tabulation, and the chisquare test to show relationships between independent and dependent variables. In addition descriptive statistics particularly the mean and frequency distribution were also used. The results obtained indicate that adolescent fertility is high. 36.7% of the 237 adolescents interviewed had had at least a child at the time of the survey. The study also found that the use of contraception was low among adolescents. Only 16%(23) out of all the adolescents (87) were using contraceptives of whom 20 were adolescent mothers while 67 were not using. The results show that some of the adolescent mothers are not married. 64.5% of all the adolescents were single and the rest were either married, living together or divorced or separated. About 16% of the single adolescents were already mothers. Most adolescents have attained at least primary level but very few have completed secondary. The result show that 3 had no education, 38 had not completed primary, 21 had completed primary, 17 had not completed secondary and only 8 had completed secondary. The results show that most of the .adolescent mothers prefer to have sex while breast feeding. There were 21 breast feeding adolescent mothers who preferred sex while breast feeding. The results indicate that most of adolescent engaging in sexual intercourse at tender age and the age at average age at first intercourse is on the decline. The result show that there has been a declinefrom 15.6 years to 9.9 years in the 1950s to in 1960s. Results on age at first marriage show that the mean age is reported at 18.5 years which is at the adolescent age. Results on trends in both age at firstmarriage and first birth show slight decline in age which is given at 18 years. From the findings, the study recommends need for better access to family planning and --. x reproductive health services, permitting and encouraging young pregnant women to continue and complete school after pregnancy, to institute or expand sex education in schools, national health policies to provide post-abortion care that includes provision of contraception information and counselling of the youths in order to avoid repetition of abortions.