Your browser doesn't support javascript.
School attendance and sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescent girls in Kenya: a cross-sectional analysis.
Thirugnanasampanthar, Sai Surabi; Embleton, Lonnie; Di Ruggiero, Erica; Braitstein, Paula; Oduor, Clement; Dibaba Wado, Yohannes.
  • Thirugnanasampanthar SS; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
  • Embleton L; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada. lonnie.embleton@gmail.com.
  • Di Ruggiero E; Department of Global Health and Health System Design, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, New York, USA. lonnie.embleton@gmail.com.
  • Braitstein P; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
  • Oduor C; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
  • Dibaba Wado Y; College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
Reprod Health ; 20(1): 29, 2023 Feb 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2279319
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Given the high burden of adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes (SRH) and low levels of school attendance among adolescent girls in Kenya, this study sought to elucidate the association between school attendance and SRH outcomes among adolescent girls in Homa Bay and Narok counties.

METHODS:

This study uses baseline quantitative data from the mixed-methods evaluation of the In Their Hands (ITH) program which occurred between September to October 2018 in Homa Bay and Narok counties. In total, 1840 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years participated in the baseline survey, of which 1810 were included in the present analysis. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between school attendance (in- versus out-of-school) and ever having sex, condom use during last sex, and ever pregnant, controlling for age, orphan status, income generation, religion, county, relationship status, and correct SRH knowledge.

RESULTS:

Across the 1810 participants included in our study, 61.3% were in-school and 38.7% were out-of-school. Compared to adolescent girls who were in-school, those out-of-school were more likely (AOR 5.74 95% CI 3.94, 8.46) to report ever having sex, less likely (AOR 0.21, 95% CI 0.16, 0.31) to have used a condom during their last sexual intercourse, and more likely (AOR 6.98, 95% CI 5.04, 9.74) to have ever been pregnant.

CONCLUSIONS:

School attendance plays an integral role in adolescent girls' SRH outcomes, and it is imperative that policy actors coordinate with the government and community to develop and implement initiatives that support adolescent girls' school attendance and education.
Adolescent girls in Kenya experience poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes (SRH) and have low levels of educational attainment. In this study, we aimed to examine if school attendance was associated with sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years in Homa Bay and Narok counties in Kenya. The study used data from the evaluation of the In Their Hands (ITH) program which occurred between September to October 2018. A total of 1840 adolescent girls years participated in the baseline survey, of which 1810 were included in this study. We found that compared to adolescent girls in-school, those who were out-of-school were significantly more likely to report ever having sex, less likely to have used a condom during their last intercourse, and more likely to have ever been pregnant. This study found that attending school plays an important protective role in the SRH of adolescent girls. Therefore, it is important to develop and implement initiatives to support adolescent girls' school attendance, and ultimately their education attainment.
Subject(s)
Keywords

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Sexual Behavior / Reproductive Health Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adolescent / Female / Humans / Pregnancy Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Journal: Reprod Health Year: 2023 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12978-023-01577-0

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Sexual Behavior / Reproductive Health Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adolescent / Female / Humans / Pregnancy Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Journal: Reprod Health Year: 2023 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12978-023-01577-0