Introduction:

Following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown a surge in teen pregnancies was reported across all counties in Kenya between March and September 2020. In Nyandarua North sub-county more than 857 cases of girls aged from 10-19 years were impregnated between January and June of the same year National Council for Population Distribution report NCPD 2020. The statistics only included cases recorded in the health sector there could have been many more pregnant teenagers who did not go to the health facilities. Teenage pregnancy is a serious problem in Kenya and it must remain at the top of the governments political agenda. Teenage pregnancies may be ascribed to parental/caregivers religious leaders political leaders and other stakeholders resistance to sexual and reproductive health issues despite rising evidence that young people are commencing sex earlier than in the past. Proven strategies such as comprehensive sexuality education are being omitted since they are perceived to encourage young people toengage in sexual activity.Concerted attempts have been made to create multiple initiatives for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy of which majority target inclusive sex education and birth access avenues Achille et al. 2017. For instance to deal with issues relating to sexuality education and sexual and reproductive SRH wellbeing the Kenyan government has established various policy and legislative frameworks Musau 2018. The policies include: HIV and AIDS Education Sector Policy second edition 2013 National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy for Adolescents 2015 the Kenya Constitution 2010 Marriage Act 2014 Population Policy for National Development Sessional Paper No. 3 which was developed in the year 2012 National Gender-Based Violence 2014 the Kenya Health Policy covering the period 2012 through to 2030 Kenya Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan 2013-2017 and the popular version of Kenya Vision 2030. These are examples of policies put in place by the governmentof Kenya to helpprevent teenage pregnancies. Adolescent sexual reproductive policy aims to providing guidance to policymakers planners and implementers and recommending priority actions on ways to curb teenage pregnancy. Interestingly even with these policies the prevalence of pregnancies among teenagers in the country is still worrisome.The presence of the stipulated laws and regulations actions and approaches suggest that Kenya is consistent in formulation of policy and authorized structures. However the 2014 Kenya Demographic Health Survey KDHS study found almost 18 of girls aged between 15 and 19 years old had conceived or were teen-mothers while 25 of Kenyan females between 25 and 49 years of age have given birth by 18 years of age. This confirms with the earlier findings of a Kenyan Ministry of Health MoH study which indicated that many youths are sexually active and are in danger of getting pregnant and exposed to adverse health repercussions hindering their attainment of life goals and prime contribution to national advancement Musyimi et al. 2019. These statistics about Kenya show that the situation in the context of this study need to be researched further. It is against this backdrop that this research sought to find out the efficacy of parental and community guidance in preventing teenage pregnancy in Nyandarua North sub-county Kenya.

Objectives:

45The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sexuality health education SHE by parents in preventing teenage girls pregnancy in Nyandarua North Sub-County Kenya.

Methodology:

The study applied Bio-ecological model of human development theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner. Using a descriptive cross-sectional survey research design data was collected from a target population of 14 chiefs from all locations within the sub-county and 27917 households. An accessible population of 569 households was identified to take part in the research-using cluster purposive and snowballing sampling. Fourteen chiefs took part in the study. The data was obtained through interviewing chiefs and questionnaires for teen girls and parents. The instruments were systematically assessed for validity through review by experts in the School of Education Kabarak University and by carrying out a pilot study comprising 30 households in Nyandarua Central Sub-County to ensure questionnaires gathered the information required by the study. Qualitative data was analysed descriptively further analysis was done using version 24.0 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS.

Findings:

majority of the parents represented by 86.7 instill a sense of sexuality totheir teen girls on the other hand only 13.3 of the parents do not teach girls sexuality issues. This is a pointer to a gap in the efficacy of the guidance approaches used because the number of parents instilling sexuality issues is high yet the surge of teen pregnancywithin Nyandarua North sub-county is of concern to stakeholders.rnteenage girls parents represented by 40.6 discuss sexuality matters with their teen girls at the onset of teenage. This could be because many teenage girls are likely to encounter sexuality related matters thus their parents take the initiative to create awareness to help them tackle the problems. Conversely some parents represented by 12.9 do not educate their teen girls and this might be because parents are unaware of the necessity of sexuality education in their daughters lives or because they are uncertain of what to educate their adolescent girls about sexuality concerns or how to teach them. This therefore would make the teen girls engage in maladaptive sexual behaviors thus contributing to an upsurge in teenage pregnancy in Nyandarua North sub-county. The majority of respondents believed that determining the best moment to provide sexuality education to teen females was challenging. In addition most key respondents stated that they discuss the type of teenage friends they have and what they do with them during leisure time. rn majority of the teen girls represented by 92 did not have siblings with children before they turned 20 years of age this could therefore mean that teen girls are not learning this behaviour from their close family members. It is likely thatthe surge in teen pregnancy within Nyandarua North could be attributed to the prolonged closure of schools and places of worship during the Covid-19 pandemic period. This could be a pointer to the ineffectiveness of guidance approaches by parents and members of the local community when teen girls are at home.rnteenage girls who took part in the study represented by 92.6 indicated that they have not had a sexual encounter with another person. This could be attributed to the fact that teenagers heed to the guidance by their parents to avoid teen pregnancies through abstinence. However parents should move further and enlighten their teen girls on the need to use protection in case they choose not to abstain. With reference to the research question Sexuality Education by parents/caregiver when carried out effectively prevents teenage pregnancies since teen girls are equipped withknowledge and skills to overcome challenges they may encounter during teen period.

Results:

Conclusion:

The study established thatparents instill a sense of sexuality to their teen girls. This is a pointer to a gap in the efficacy of the guidance approaches used because the number of parents instilling sexuality issues is high yet the surge of teen pregnancy within Nyandarua North sub-county is of concern to stakeholders. Secondly some parents do not educate their teen girls on sexuality matters. This could be due to failure to acknowledge the importance of sexuality education not knowing what to teach and not knowing how to educate their teenage girls on sexuality related matters. This could lead to teen girls engaging in maladaptive sexual behaviors which may contribute to a surge in teenpregnancy. Thirdly Majority of teen girls did not have siblings with children before they turned 20 years of age this therefore means that teen girls are not learning this behaviour from their close family members. It is likely that the surge in teen pregnancy within Nyandarua North could be attributed to the prolonged closure of schools and places of worship during the Covid-19 pandemic period which is a pointer to the ineffectiveness of guidance approaches by parents and members of the community when teen girls are at home.

Author(s):

Focus County(s):

Nyandarua County

Programme Area(s):

Sexual, Reproductive, Adolescent & Child Health

Research Priority Area(s):

Disease Domain(s):

TEENAGE PREGNANCIES

Publication Date: 15.Nov.2022

Conference Title:

Venue: