Kwale 8) Meru 9) Narok 10) Siaya. A mixed methods approach was undertaken. A total of 394 adolescent girls aged 13-19 years were sampled from the ten targeted counties. Of these 377 were interviewed successfully (96%). The main reason for non-response was parent/guardian refusal. Information on key demographic indicators, sexual behavior, asset ownership, contraceptive use, causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy, community practices that encourage adolescent pregnancy, knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of adolescent pregnancy and strategies that can be employed to reduce adolescent pregnancy was collected using a standard survey tool. Qualitative data was collected to provide a more in-depth understanding of the causes and consequences of adolescent pregnancy and strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy. About 2-5 Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with adolescent girls aged 13-19 years in each of the targeted counties. A total of 38 FGDs were conducted. Each FGD had between 8-12 adolescent girls participating. A total of 97 Key Informant Interviews were conducted with gender, education and birth registration officers, school heads, sub-county administrators and chiefs/village heads at the county level. Quantitative data analysis was conducted on key Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health indicators and custom indicators informed by the local operating context in Kenya were developed to inform the analysis. Qualitative interviews were transcribed and coded for emerging themes using Nvivo software. Output of relevant codes were used for analysis and write up of the report.
Key findings Demographic and Household characteristics A total of 377 adolescent girls aged 13-19 year were interviewed. 45% of the participants were between 13-15, 31% were 16-17 and 24% were 18-19 years old. Majority of participants (46%) were residing in urban areas. About 60% were living with both parents while 24% were living with one parent. Those who did not live with their parent(s) lived with another adult relative (9%), other adult non-relative (3%) or partner (4%). Capturing parental presence in the lives of adolescents is important, as living with a parent affects young people’s behavior such as initiation of sexual intercourse, and the antecedent consequences, such as unintended pregnancy. Education Based on the assessment, about 89% of the adolescents reported that they were still attending school. 51% of the respondents had at least attained some secondary school education. About 2% had no education. Several of the respondents’ parents (fathers 22%, mothers 13%) have not attained formal education. Parental educational attainment is critical in determining children’s educational attainment, especially years of schooling.
