Underage girls’ pregnancy during schooling in Niger: Socio-demographic aspect, causes, effect and control. A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, the socio-demographic aspect, the consequences on the schooling of girls and the control measures of underage pregnancy in schooling in Niger. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study over a 12-month period. The study concerned pregnant and parturient girls who were minors and in the process of attending school in the city of Niamey in the Republic of Niger. The socio-demographic, obstetric and school data of 184 underage girls admitted to the Issaka Gazobi Maternity Hospital in Niamey during the study period were collected and analysed. At the same time, we conducted interviews in 30 schools and educational inspection services in the city of Niamey, in order to gather qualitative data on the phenomenon of pregnancy and childbirth among minors in schools. Results: The frequency of childbirth among under-age students was 3.06% in our maternity. The average age was 15.7 years. Nine out of 10 minors (90.7%) had become mothers by the end of the study. School drop-out rates were high (53.8%). According to our interviews with school leaders, the factors at the root of pregnancy in Niamey schools are socio-cultural and religious (factors linked to the vulnerability of young girls, the lack of sex education within families and schools, and peer pressure, cultural and religious considerations which encourages early marriage and pregnancy, and the low contraceptive prevalence rate in Niger). Conclusion: Pregnancy in the school environment is common in Niger and has repercussions on the normal progress of schooling. This study recommended adequate parental implication, eradication of street hawking and inculcation of moral values through religious bodies as ways of reducing underage girls’ pregnancy in schooling in Niger.