Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Globally, unintended births among unmarried adolescent girls are a major contributor to maternal and childhood
mortality, the vicious cycle of ill-health, poverty, and truncated educational opportunities. Nigeria has the highest rates of
adolescent fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 900 000 births to adolescents occur annually and 150 out of every 1000 women
who give birth in Nigeria are 19 years old or under.
OBJECTIVE : To document and investigate socio-demographic risk factors for unintended pregnancy among unmarried adolescent
Nigerian girls.
METHODS : Data for this study were drawn from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Univariate and multivariate
statistical analyses were used to assess the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and socio-demographic contextual
factors focusing on sex and age of household head, adolescent girls’ age, and educational attainment, place of residence,
religious affiliation, and household wealth index. All data were analysed using STATA Version 11.
RESULTS : Non-pregnant adolescents had older household heads; such households were wealthy, and parents of such households
had higher educational standing. Female-headed households were less likely to experience unwanted adolescent pregnancy
compared to those of the reference group category (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.3920–0.8073).
CONCLUSION : There is a significant relationship between age and sex of household head and risk of unintended adolescent
pregnancy among unmarried adolescent girls. Adolescent girls from households headed by young adults are more likely to
experience adolescent pregnancy compared to adolescent girls from households headed by older adults.
