Factors Associated with use of Modern Contraceptives amongst Sexually Active Adolescent Girls Aged 15-19 in Homa Bay Town Sub-County, Kenya

Background: Modern contraception is the use of birth control methods to determine the number of children in a family. Worldwide, more than 16 million adolescent girls give birth every year and an additional 5 million have abortions in which sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 50% of these births. Low or no utilization of modern contraceptives among the adolescents, has led to increased cases of unplanned pregnancies, which stands at 80% as per birth and death registration records nationally. Methodology: A cross-sectional mixed study design was used; involving 385 girls aged 15-19 years selected through systematic random sampling. For quantitative data, the study employed a structured/semi-structured questionnaire, while for qualitative data; purposive sampling was used to identify key informants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data with STATA v14, while qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo and thematic analysis. Findings: Study revealed that one-third 118 (30.7%) of the respondents were aged 17 years. The majority 370 (96.1%) of the respondents were single, with 346 (89.9%) attending public schools. It was further established that while 68.5% of the respondents were knowledgeable about modern contraceptives only 37.2% were using them. Married adolescent girls had higher odds of using modern contraceptives than unmarried girls (a OR=19.88, p <0.001). The cultural and religious practices of the community were also significant predictors of contraceptive use; individuals with rigid cultural and religious beliefs were less likely to use contraceptives (a OR=9.1, p<0.001). Additionally, the level of knowledge was significantly related to contraceptive usage (a OR=11.6, p<0.001). Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: From the research findings, it can be deduced that socio-economic, cultural, and demographic variables significantly impact the utilization of modern contraceptives among adolescent girls. The study's implications are valuable because they suggest that if access to accurate information were improved, cultural and religious barriers were eliminated, and economic opportunities for adolescent girls were provided, the uptake of modern contraceptives could increase, leading to a decrease in teenage pregnancies and related risks.