A Study of Causes of Teenage Pregnancy Rate in Nigeria: Statistical Modeling Approach

Abstract

One major contemporary social problem confronting most countries in the world is teenage pregnancy. From the first world countries such as the United States to the third world countries, this problem has been a source of worry for policymakers, social workers, and other human service providers due to its negative repercussions on the girl-child. This research seeks to explore the factors influencing adolescent pregnancy descriptively and to compute a multivariable linear regression to examine causal relationships and the strength of association among the several variables under study. The study used 10 years retrospective study of teenage pregnancies managed at Federal Medical Center Jalingo. The statistical tools used for analyses are multivariable liner regression analysis, Chi-square (χ2) test, Charts and descriptive statistics of the data and R package The information obtained were coded and transferred into a template already design for registering such information’s. Variables relating to the socio-demographic characteristics of the teenagers, antenatal and during pregnancy complications, and neonatal outcomes were obtained. The study revealed the percentage prevalence of adolescence pregnancy in Taraba state, the direction and strength of association between the variables under study as well as the cause and implication of adolescent pregnancy on the education, economy, and future of the northern region and the solutions to the threats adolescent pregnancy poses to northern Nigeria.