Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #2083 - Poster 2 | ||||
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Session: 59.4: Poster 2 (Poster) on Tuesday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Mr John Kingsley Krugu - Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, Ghana |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: Worldwide, levels of teenage pregnancies are still too high, with rates in Africa reaching 48%. The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned and unwanted. In addition, being pregnant or delivering a baby as a teenager bares serious health risks, including the risk HIV infection. In order to address these high levels of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, it is important to know which factors influence a failure among teenage girls to protect themselves against pregnancies and STIs infections. | ||||
| Method / Issue: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with teenage girls and boys with pregnancy experience (N = 21 girls & 3 boys) and without (N = 23 girls & 17 boys) in Bolgatanga, North of Ghana. The interview protocol was guided by themes (relationships, sexuality and sex, pregnancy, family planning) and determinants (knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, norms, risk perceptions) derived from empirical research and theories related to sexuality behavior and pregnancy beliefs. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Main way of sexual protection seems condom use other forms of contraception were often linked to infertility. There seems to be no communication about sexual-related matters at all, not with friends or partner, neither with family. A big knowledge gap on sexuality issues was observed among boys and girls. Attitudes towards relationships, sex, and sexual protection as well as risk perceptions varied depending on sexual and/or pregnancy experience as well as on gender. | ||||
| Discussion: Interventions should focus on knowledge, attitudes, trust, self-efficacy, risk perceptions and normative beliefs regarding sexuality in general, and specifically to sexuality-related communication and actual contraception use. Future research should target the role of parents and the community. | ||||
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