Abstract:
ABSTRACT
The research assessed the causes of early pregnancies amongst young girls in selected secondary schools in Chesikaki Location, Mt. Elgon. The survey was guided by the objectives which included to identify the socio- cultural factors influencing pregnancies among girls in secondary schools, to determine how economic factors influence pregnancies among girls in secondary schools, to assess the awareness of the risks associated with pregnancies among girls in secondary school and to identify the recommendations aimed at addressing the problem of pregnancies among girls in secondary schools. The research was carried out in selected secondary schools in Chesikaki location, Mt. Elgon, Kenya. The study used descriptive and cross - sectional survey designs of selected secondary schools in Chesikaki Location, Mt. Elgon, Kenya. The targeted students from the selected secondary schools and sample them using stratified and simple random sampling. The data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics in order to determine their frequencies and percentages. The findings in this study indicate that a number if socio-cultural factors have influenced pregnancies this included mismanaged, there is lack of motivation coupled with lack of privacy and high standards of living. Insufficient guidance from parents on matters concerned with reproductive health was also identified as an influential factor. Culture was also identified as a contribution as it does not openly criticize pregnancies among girls at teenage because they value the reproductive role of young girls more than education. Parents take their children to mixed boarding day schools that are not strict on monitoring movements of students thus giving room for unguided freedom. Poverty has also been identified because most of these girls come from poor background and fall prey because they lack basic needs.
