Correlates of dual method contraception among adolescent girls in Ratlou Local Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

South Africa, compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has done remarkably well in reducing the total fertility rate. The change in population indicators, such as fertility and mortality, ultimately affects development planning. The sexual and reproductive behaviour of adolescents plays an important role. The alarming increase in the rate of adolescent pregnancy, especially in Ratlou Local Municipality in North West Province, prompted the study of the correlates of dual method contraception among adolescent girls. The study was conducted in Ratlou Local Municipality situated in North West Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 462 adolescent girls irrespective of their school attendance status. The focus of the study was adolescent pregnancy. The study used multistage sampling procedures. Simple random sampling was used at the first stage, stratification sampling proportional to size at the second stage, and systematic sampling at the third stage. The participants were informed about the purpose/objective of the study, the time needed, and the importance of consent. Participants aged 18 years or above were given the consent form to fill in, and the consent for minors (13–18 years) was obtained from their parents. A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data, captured in Microsoft Excel and exported to Stata version 16 for analysis purposes. The binary logistic model was used to examine the relationship between socio-demographic factors and dependent variables, namely contraceptive use at first sex, dual method contraception knowledge, and dual method contraception use. Chi-square at p<0.05 was used to determine significant differences.

The findings of the study showed that relationship status, age at first sex, employment status of the head of household, and village of residence were significant predictors of contraceptive use at first sex amongst respondents. Christian denomination, relationship status, age at first sex, contraceptive use at first sex, and the village of residence were significant predictors of dual method contraception knowledge amongst the respondents. Age of the respondent, sex of head of household, contraceptive use at first sex, ever fallen pregnant and village of residence were the significant predictors of dual method contraceptive use among adolescent girls. Generally, the use of contraceptives was low, whether contraceptive use at first sex or dual method contraception. It is still necessary to promote contraceptive use and educate young people about dual method contraception. Furthermore, young people should be taught more about the impact of early childbearing on their personal development, and the whole country's economic development.