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Poor Pregnancy Outcomes among Adolecents in South Nyanza Region of Kenya


M Magadi

Abstract



In this paper, we examine factor associated with poor pregnancy outcomes among teenagers in South Nyanza region of Kenya. The analysis is based on a recent WHO funded study on Adolescent safe motherhood in the region, which involved a survey of 1247 adolescents aged 12-19 and in-depth interviews with 39 of the adolescents who had experienced very early pregnancies or a pregnancy wastage. The indicators of poor pregnancy outcomes analysed include pregnancy wastage and pre-term delivery. A striking finding is the unusually high rate of pre-term deliveries, especially in cases of unintended pregnancies. Analysis of the qualitative data based on in-depth interviews sheds some light on possible explanations for the poor pregnancy outcomes observed among these adolescents. In particular, unsafe abortion attempts and poor maternal health-care emerge as important issues of concern .

African Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 10 (1) 2006: pp. 26-38

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