Abstract:
Objective: To assess the proportion of married adolescent pregnant perception on their needs of pregnancy counseling and services provided through Kishoregonj District Maternity and Child Welfare Center in Bangladesh. To estimate the proportion of wanted or intended pregnancy of adolescent and to determine the constraints which are related to the attendance or use of pregnancy counseling and services. Design: A cross sectional descriptive study. Setting: Kishoregonj District Maternity and Child Welfare Center (MCWC) in Bangladesh. Subject: Married adolescent pregnant (n = 246) aged from 15-19 years who needs pregnancy counseling and services attended for first antenatal visit to Kishoregonj District Maternity and Child Welfare Center (MCWC) in Bangladesh during study period. Method: A structured interview questionnaire was used for data collection of pregnant adolescent attended for first antenatal visit to MCWC during May to August, 1999. Results: The socio-cultural data revealed that, the mean age of adolescent was 17.3 years. The educational level was 80.1 percent literate and 19.9 percent illiterate (had no schooling). Marital status was 67.9 percent in the age group of 16-19 years and 32.1 percent were under the age group of 12-15 years age group. Most of the adolescents 99.2 percent wer housewives and 0.8 percent were doing agriculture and self business. Majority, 93.5 percent adolescent were Muslims and 6.5 percent were Hindus. The proportion of adolescent's overall perception was 14.2 percent and 85.8 percent had no perception. The pregnancy actually wanted were 41.9 percent and 58.1 percent were unwanted or unintended. The age (P = 0.032), educational level (P = 0.003), age of marriage (P = 0.008), ever heard MCWC provides PCS (P>0.001) and source of information (P<0.001) were found to be statistically significant with main outcome perception. In multiple logistic regression analysis, age of adolescent, religious problem to avoid getting pregnancy and source of information were found to be highly significant with the perception level of adolescent. Implications: The results of the study will impact on both health and family planning sectors to develop most comprehensive PCS model through program intervention, social mobilization, altering the existing status of adolescents, providing information and building skills. Adolescents HRB by implementing laws and developing strategy and employing practices reduces morbidity, mortality and age specific fertility rate which declined population growth rate (GR)
