Understanding premarital pregnancies among adolescents and young women in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Abstract

In developing countries, young women between 15 and 24 years of age account for more than 40% of unsafe abortions due to the high number of unwanted and/or out-of-wedlock pregnancies. However, much about the profile of adolescents and young women who usually experience premarital pregnancies remains unknown. This study sought to understand the risk of pregnancy before marriage among adolescents and young women in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. By using longitudinal data from a demographic surveillance system, we tested the explanatory power of two theoretical assumptions on premarital childbearing in sub-Saharan Africa, which assumptions are the cultural inheritance model and the social capital model. The results confirmed the explanatory power of the cultural inheritance model on the one hand and partially confirmed the power of the social capital model on the other hand. These results highlight the need for a multipronged approach to sexual and reproductive health for young people. Efforts against premarital pregnancies among adolescents and young women would be more effective if they were based on participatory approaches, incorporating actions at both community and institutional levels, as suggested by the recent Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents logical framework.

Levels and socioeconomic correlates of nonmarital fertility in Ghana

“…The findings also link nonmarital childbearing chances to household wealth status, whereby women from rich households appear considerably less likely to have a child outside marriage than women from poor households. Women from poor households show a greater risk of nonmarital childbirth and this supports the findings of many related studies in sub-Saharan Africa [ 3 , 18 , 19 , 25 , 26 ]. Women from rich households have a significantly lower risk of unmet need for family planning compared to women from poor households [ 27 ], clearly because they may afford and access sexual and reproductive health services such as family planning and abortion services, information, and education to prevent childbirths outside marriage.…”

“…Older women have a disproportionately higher likelihood of nonmarital childbearing within the sample. Some similar studies in sub-Saharan Africa such as Namibia [ 18 ], Nigeria [ 19 ], Burkina Faso [ 25 ], and South Africa [ 28 ] also provide evidence on the positive association between women’s age and nonmarital childbearing risks. This is likely because, in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ghana, many older or aging women who are still unmarried may likely give up on marriage and focus on having children outside marriage if they feel they can successfully cater for them.…”

“…In the Ghanaian context, the reason may be that highly educated women most likely use modern contraception to protect themselves [ 20 ], while women who have no formal education have higher risks of nonmarital childbearing probably because they may have higher rates of unplanned pregnancies, compared to their educated counterparts [ 21 ]. Conversely, many of the extant studies show a positive association between educational attainment and nonmarital fertility [ 3 , 22 – 25 ].…”

Early Sexual Debut and Associated Factors among Students in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“… 2-4 Youths usually engage with early sexual debut to experiment sex before marriage. 1 , 5 Early sexual activity within a passionate relationship could increase expectations of early marriage and childbearing with its several potential impacts on reproductive life. 2 , 6 , 7 …”

“…[2][3][4] Youths usually engage with early sexual debut to experiment sex before marriage. 1,5 Early sexual activity within a passionate relationship could increase expectations of early marriage and childbearing with its several potential impacts on reproductive life. 2,6,7 Evidence indicated that those students who engaged early sexual debut are exposed to risky sexual behaviours such as unprotected sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners and incorrect or inconsistent condom use leading to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infection (STIs), unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, early childbirth, and psychosocial problems.…”