Factors influencing the prevalence of early pregnancies in Guinean schools: a cross-sectional survey

Pregnancy in schools is an obstacle to girls' education in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine the factors associated with early pregnancy in Guinean schools. It is a survey conducted from December 2020 to March 2021 among adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Guinea. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported, and the significance level was p < 0.05. Of the 8,178 teenage girls surveyed, 13.11% (95% CI: 12.39-13.86) were or had already been pregnant. Early pregnancy was associated with the following factors: age 20-24 (AOR = 3.27; 95% CI: 2.70-3.95), teenagers with a partner (AOR = 15.63; 95% CI: 12.74-19.18), need for family planning (AOR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.51-2.21), and sex with casual partners (AOR = 2.65; 95% CI: 2.18-3.23). Adolescent girls attending private schools (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.64-0.93) and knowledge of family planning (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.46-0.67) were less at risk of pregnancy. Early pregnancy in Guinean schools is a reality. Integrating sex education into school curricula and setting up health services adapted to adolescents could prevent early pregnancies.