Causes of Teenage Pregnancy in Senya Bereku Community of Awutu- Efutu- Senya District

The main objective of the study was to investigate into factors contributing to teenage pregnancy in the Senya- Bereku community of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District, which has a high drop out rate of girls in the educational facilities make recommendations to the District Health Management Team and District Assembly o f Awutu-Effutu-Senya District. The dissertation is based on data collected from the field between June 2004 and June 2005. Data on 200 adolescents of which 82 was male, 10 teenage mothers, 5 mothers of adolescent mothers and ten opinion leaders. Distribution of respondents was presented in tables, pie charts, bar charts and cross tabulations. The chi-square test was used to establish the association between independent variables stated in the hypothesis and teenage pregnancy. The finding of the study showed that coercion, career aspirations, parental control, knowledge and usage of contraceptives and involvement in extracurricular activities were significantly related to adolescent sexuality. The median age of sexual debut was 16 years for males and females, and there was poor usage of conventional family planning methods despite education on teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Programmes to help reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy will need the combined efforts of all stakeholders. Health services and counselling centres should be established for the youth with emphasis on reproductive behaviour and sexuality. Early onset of education on teenage pregnancy and contraceptives is recommended for the youth in the early teenage years prior to the median age of sexual debut. Channelling of sexual energy into asexual activity such as athletics and clubs will be helpful for the youth. Teenage mothers can be helped and supported by the community to continue their education.