| Trends, Determinants and Health Risks of Adolescent Fatherhood in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Authors: |
Emmanuel O. Amoo, Angie Igbinoba, David Imhonopi, Olufunmilayo O. Banjo, Chukwuedozie K. Ajaero, Joshua O. Akinyemi, David Igbokwe, and Lukman B. Solanke |
| Source: |
Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, 28(4): 443; DOI: 10.4314/ejhs.v28i4.9 |
| Topic(s): |
Sexual behavior
Youth
|
| Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
Nigeria
Zambia
Ethiopia
|
| Published: |
JUL 2018 |
| Abstract: |
BACKGROUND: This study examined the trends, determinants and health risks of adolescent fatherhood in three selected African countries where adolescent-girl pregnancy/motherhood are decried but with permissive male sexual latitude.
METHODS: Adolescent male data were extracted from the malerecode
datasets of Demographic Health Survey (2000-2014) for Nigeria, Ethiopia and Zambia. The surveys were grouped into 3-Waves: (2000-2004); (2005-2008) and (2011-2014). The study employed descriptive and binary logistics that tested the log-odds of adolescent fatherhood with respect to selected sexual behaviour indices, and individual and shared demographic variables.
RESULTS: The results revealed that the number of lifetimesexual-partners among the boys is =2. The likelihood of adolescent fatherhood is positively associated with increasing age at first cohabitation and multiple sexual partnerships (=2) having OR=1.673 and OR=1.769 in 2005/2008 and 2011/2014 respectively. Adolescents who had attained tertiary education, and engaged in professional and skilled jobs were 0.313, 0.213 and 0.403 times (respectively) less likely to have ever-fathered a child. The positive association between rural place of residence and adolescent fatherhood in the past shifted to urban residents in 2011/2014.
CONCLUSION: The study concludes that early sexual activities and cohabitation are common among male adolescents among the countries of study. The authors recommend discouragement of boy-girl cohabitation, increasing access to higher education and job opportunities in order to stem boy-fatherhood incidence in the study locations and, by extension, other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
KEYWORDS: Adolescent fatherhood, sexual behaviour, trends, determinants, health risks, lifetime-sexual-partners |
| Web: |
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ejhs/article/download/175550/164970 |
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