Adolescent fertility and its determinants in Kenya: Evidence from Kenya demographic and health survey 2014

Abstract

Background Adolescent fertility in Kenya is vital in the development and execution of reproductive health policies and programs. One of the specific objectives of the Kenyan Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) policy developed in 2015 is to decrease early and unintended pregnancies in an attempt to reduce adolescent fertility. We aimed to establish determinants of adolescent fertility in Kenya. Methods The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2014 data set was utilized. Adolescent’s number of children ever born was the dependent variable. The Chi-square test was utilized to determine the relationship between dependent and independent variables. A Proportional-odds model was performed to establish determinants of adolescent fertility at a 5% significance level. Results Over 40% of the adolescent girls who had sex below 17 years had given birth i.e, current age 15–17 years (40.9%) and <15 years (44.9%) had given birth. In addition, 70.7% of the married adolescents had given birth compared to 8.1% of the unmarried adolescents. Moreover, 65.1% of the adolescents who were using contraceptives had given birth compared to only 9% of the adolescents who were not using a contraceptive. Approximately 29.4% of the adolescents who had no education had given birth compared to 9.1% who had attained secondary education. Age at first sex (18–19 years: OR: 0.221, 95% CI: 0.124–0.392; 15–17 years: OR: 0.530, 95% CI: 0.379–0.742), current age (18–19 years: OR: 4.727, 95% CI: 3.318–6.733), current marital status (Not married: OR:0.212, 95% CI: 0.150–4.780), and current contraceptive use (Using: OR 3.138, 95% CI: 2.257–4.362) were associated with adolescent fertility. Conclusion The study established that age at first sex, current age, marital status, and contraceptive use are the main determinants of adolescent childbearing. The stated determinants should be targeted by the government to control the adolescent birth rate in Kenya. Consequently, delaying the age at first sex, discouraging adolescent marriage, and increasing secondary school enrollment among adolescent girls are recommended strategies to control adolescent fertility in Kenya.

Socio-economic disparities and predictors of fertility among adolescents aged 15 to 19 in Zambia: Evidence from the Zambia demographic and health survey (2018)

“…Furthermore, those with no formal education, married, residing in rural areas, low-income, or unemployed were more likely to have multiple children. This aligns with studies in Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, and Tanzania [18–21]. However, the study noted that the percentage of adolescents with one child was higher than in Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Eritrea, and Ghana [22–25].…”

“…Marital status in the study similarly predicted adolescent fertility that is the findings suggests that adolescent girls who are married had a higher chance of having multiple children compared to those who were not. This aligns with research conducted in various African countries, including Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Congo, and Central Africa, where early marriages have been identified as a significant factor contributing to high fertility rates [18, 31, 32, 33]. This implies that early child marriages play a central role in driving increased adolescent fertility.…”

“…Similarly, our study revealed that adolescents who were older at the time of their first sexual encounter and those from communities with a higher community age at birth were more likely to have more than one child. This finding contradicts a study conducted in Uganda, which found that individuals who engaged in early sexual activity and delayed childbirth were less likely to experience higher fertility compared to those who underwent these events early [18, 28].…”

Accumulated funds of knowledge among privileged Maasai: An emphasis on virtues and morals in parenting practices

“…Additional insight from the Funds of Knowledge (FoK) theory will showcase parents' contributions and strengths (Llopart & Esteban‐Guitart, 2018). The focus of much previous research has been on underprivileged minority Indigenous groups, with the intent to uncover their challenges in order to help them succeed (Masago et al, 2021; Monari et al, 2022), rather than urban, educated families of Indigenous origin. The research in this article refocuses to examine educated and privileged childrearing practices that prepare children to enter the global market economy.…”

Sociodemographic predictors of parenting stress among caregivers in disadvantaged settings: evidence from Kenya and Zambia

“…In addition, the number of children under the caregivers' care is also a predictor of parental stress, with caregivers having more than one child below 8 years reporting higher parental stress compared to those having one child (Qian et al, 2021). These effects are particularly important to understand in contexts such as Kenya and Zambia with fertility rates of about 4 (Imbo et al, 2021;Monari et al, 2022). However, limited evidence has explored these predictors in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) context where factors such poverty index is very high compared to the settings of previous studies.…”