Unintended Pregnancies Among School-Aged Adolescents in Ethiopian Villages: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Rates Post-2001

Unintended pregnancies among school-aged adolescents in Ethiopian villages have been a subject of interest due to their potential impact on health and education outcomes. A comprehensive search strategy was employed across multiple databases including PubMed and Cochrane Library. Studies were included if they reported data on unintended pregnancy rates in school-aged adolescents from Ethiopia between and the present, with a focus on those educated through school-based programmes. The review identified studies reporting prevalence rates ranging from 5% to 35%, with an average of 20%. The most common themes were low awareness about contraception methods and high levels of unprotected sexual activity among adolescents. Despite the variability in reported rates, there is a clear need for targeted interventions focusing on improving adolescent reproductive health knowledge and access to family planning services. School-based education programmes should prioritise comprehensive sex education that includes contraceptive use and partner communication skills. Additionally, community-level initiatives aimed at reducing stigma surrounding sexual health issues are recommended. Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.