BackgroundAdolescent girls in rural fishing communities in Uganda engage in early sexual activity, putting them at risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Moreover, the fishing communities in Uganda are among the populations with low educational attainment, a factor linked to low contraceptive usage. This makes fishing communities in Uganda among the subpopulations with the greatest need for sexual and reproductive healthcare. However, the modern contraceptive practices of adolescent girls in the rural fishing communities of northern Uganda are unclear.ObjectivesWe aimed to identify modern contraceptive utilisation and its determinants among adolescent girls in the fishing communities of rural northern Uganda.DesignThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study.MethodThe study involved adolescent girls aged 15-19 from four fishing communities in rural northern Uganda. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews via structured questions. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and modified Poisson regression at a 95% confidence interval via STATA 17. Both crude and adjusted prevalence ratios were reported.ResultsOut of the 577 adolescent girls, 55.3% were aged 17-19 and 50.1% reported current sexual activity. The proportion of sexually active adolescent girls who had ever used a modern contraceptive was 47%. The prevalence of modern contraceptive method utilization was 94% higher among adolescent girls who were currently employed compared to those who were not, and 98% higher among adolescent girls who had at least one child compared to those who did not have any.ConclusionsThe level of modern contraceptive utilisation was at 47% among sexually active adolescent girls. Their contraceptive use was shaped by their lived reproductive experiences and economic engagement. We recommend strengthening adolescent-friendly services and expanding opportunities for their economic participation.
Owiny et al. (Sat,) studied this question.