A principal component analysis of the key determinant factors of teenage pregnancy: a case of secondary school Girls in Ndhiwa sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Teenage pregnancies occurrence and incidences vary significantly across different regions. High rates or low rates of adolescent pregnancies are often attributed to varying degrees of influence from several determinant factors.This study sought to identify key determinant factors of teenage pregnancy among secondary school girls in Ndhiwa sub-county using principal component analysis (PCA).Teenage pregnancy remain a significant challenge in many communities including Ndhiwa Sub-County where its prevalence threaten the education and future prospects of adolescent girls. Despite various intervention, the rate still remains high suggesting that deeper data driven insight required to identify key factors influencing it occurrence in the region. PCA is a statistical method that simplifies multivariate data by reducing variables while retaining essential information.In this study PCA was used to explore highly significant determinant factors of teen pregnancy among secondary school females in Ndhiwa Sub-county, specifically determining among 10 determinant factors namely, age of the teenager, peer pressure, family factor (poverty), lack of communication between daughter and parent, electronic media use, lack of contraceptive awareness, lack of knowledge on fertile period, lack of sex education, drugs and substance abuse, and early sex debut (pre-marital sex) which would significantly contribute to teenage pregnancy. The study was conducted in selected girls' secondary schools in Ndhiwa subcounty. This institutional-based cross-sectional study involved 379 participants selected through random and cluster sampling from a target population size of 7128 female students. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire with responses measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analyses including correlation analysis, descriptive statistics, and PCA were performed using SPSS version 25. The study found a 14.2% prevalence of teenage pregnancy among secondary school girls in Ndhiwa sub-county. Notably, peer pressure showed a strong positive correlation with premarital sex, suggesting predictive potential. PCA identified four principal components peer pressure, early sexual debut, substance abuse, and lack of communication between daughter and parent as crucial, explaining 51.13% of the determinant factors' variability. These findings can guide stakeholders and policymakers in developing targeted interventions to reduce teenage pregnancy rates among school-going girls.