Adolescent Fertility and Sexual Health in Nigeria

Cortez, Rafael ; Saadat, Seemeen ; Marinda, Edmore ; Odutolu, Oluwole

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: USE OF CONTRACEPTION;    SEX EDUCATION;    RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES;    CHILD HEALTH;    RISKS;   

RP-ID  :  103667

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This study examines the determinants ofadolescent sexual behavior and fertility in Nigeria, with aspecial focus on knowledge, attitudes and behaviors ofadolescents aged 10-19 years old in Karu Local GovernmentAuthority (LGA), a peri-urban area near the capital city ofAbuja. Using the last three waves of Demographic and HealthSurveys (2003, 2008, 2013), focus group discussions,stakeholder interviews, and a specialized survey of 643girls and boys aged 10-19 years old in Karu LGA, the studynarrows in on key challenges to and opportunities forimproving adolescent sexual and reproductive healthoutcomes. The national median age at sexual debut foradolescent girls and boys is between 15 and 16 years of age.This is closely emulated in Karu LGA with a median age of14.8 years for girls and 15.3 years for boys. While data onpregnancies was limited in the Karu sample, DHS data showthat for girls, sexual debut is closely associated withmarriage or cohabitation, which in turn is a strongpredictor of adolescent fertility. Poverty is another strongpredictor, with the odds of becoming pregnant being twice ashigh for adolescents in the lower wealth quintiles comparedto their counterparts in the richest quintile in thecountry. While adolescents’ knowledge of contraception hasincreased from under 10 percent to over 30 percent, use ofhealth services among adolescents for SRH (andcontraception) is limited due to factors such as fear ofstigma, embarrassment, and poor access to services,something also emphasized in focus group discussions.Challenges for improving adolescent SRH outcomes relate to:(i) the paucity of data, especially on the 10-14 year olds;(ii) availability and access to youth-friendly services andthe Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE); (iii) reachingout-of-school adolescents with SRH information; and (iv)addressing ambiguities and gaps in Federal law and customson age at marriage, and generating support for the legal ageat marriage of at least 18 years old. Addressing thesebarriers at the State and sub-regional levels is going to becritical in improving adolescent well-being.