Factors Influencing Early Pregnancy Among Adolescent Girls Aged 15–19 Years at Gleno Health Center Inpatient Services, Ermera Municipality, Timor-Leste, 2022

Adolescent pregnancy (ages 15–19 years) remains a prominent public health concern in low-resource settings. Complications from early pregnancy and unsafe abortion contribute substantially to maternal morbidity and mortality. Infants born to mothers under 20 years have a 50 % higher risk of neonatal death within the first week compared to those born to mothers older than 20 years (WHO, 2014). The objective of the study identify individual, interpersonal, and socio- environmental factors associated with early pregnancy outcomes among adolescent girls admitted to Gleno Health Center’s inpatient ward in 2022. A descriptive cross-sectional study included all 43 pregnant adolescents (aged 15–19 years) admitted between 1 January and 31 December 2022. Data were collected via a pretested structured questionnaire covering: (1) knowledge of early pregnancy, (2) attitude toward pregnancy, (3) satisfaction with health-promotion media, (4) peer behaviors (pergaulan bebas), and (5) family income. Bivariate associations between each independent variable and high-risk indicators of quality- of-life (e.g., anticipated complications, low self-rated health) were assessed using the Chi-square (χ2) test (α = 0.05). Crude odds ratios (COR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) quantified effect sizes. The study found that 43 participants, the mean age was 17.8±1.2 years; 65.1% had education ≤ junior high school, and 53.5% lived in households above the national poverty line. Adequate knowledge was present in 44.2%, positive attitude in 44.2%, satisfaction with health-promotion media in 46.5%, and non-permissive peer behavior in 46%. Bivariate analysis revealed significant associations between Attitude: adolescents with “positive” attitudes were more likely to report high-risk outcomes (COR=4.16; 95 % CI: 1.15–15.00; p=0.027). Peer behavior: those reporting non-permissive peer norms had higher odds of high-risk outcomes (COR=8.89; 95% CI: 2.02–39.22; p=0.002). Media satisfaction: Adolescents satisfied with health- promotion media also exhibited higher-risk indicators (COR = 3.43; 95% CI: 0.97–12.10; p = 0.050). Knowledge level (p = 0.247) and family income (p = 0.075) showed no statistically significant association. Concluded that inpatient cohort, “positive” attitudes toward early pregnancy, non-permissive peer behaviors, and higher satisfaction with health-promotion media were significantly associated with high-risk quality-of-life indicators. Future interventions should focus on proactive attitude education, peer-led support programs, and revision of media strategies to target non-pregnant adolescents.