Assessment of sociol-economic factors and pregnancy among adolescent girls in Tanzania: the case of Morogoro municipality in Morogoro region.

Pregnancy among Adolescent girls is one of the biggest challenges that teenage girls face in Tanzania. This study assessed socio-economic factors and pregnancy among adolescent girls in Morogoro District. The area was chosen because it is among the regions with high cases of adolescent pregnancy and it is one of the populous districts in Morogoro region with people of different social and economic status, where by many cases of adolescent pregnancy have been reported. The objectives of the study was to examine the economic factors influencing adolescent pregnancy in Morogoro district, examine the social factors influencing teenage pregnancy in the study area and to evaluate the intervention measures of teenage pregnancy in Morogoro district. The effect of socio-economic factors like level of education, parental occupations, living pattern, early marriage, household environment and income status of the house were influencing adolescent’s pregnancy. The study found that majority of respondents whose parent’s had no formal education 95.2% for father and 79.3% for mother had their daughters pregnant. Living patterns also influenced adolescent pregnancy as the majority of respondents from single family 44% were found to be pregnant compared to those who live with both parents 24% in their families. Also, it was found that 76.4 % for fathers and 82.0% for mothers who were unemployed their daughters were found to get pregnant early rather than those employed in formal sector in Morogoro Municipal. Additionally, the respondents whose family background depended on faming as the main source of income were found have early marriage to their daughter as a source of income. Followed by petty business 60.9% for father and 66.4% for mother their daughter found to be pregnancy. The intervention have played a role in a fifty- fifty win situations as seen in the analysis, offering economic support and cash incentives for their adolescent pregnant families. It implies that intervention programs did not play the role that was supposed to play or intended to reach and give an impact in the society. The study found that, the problem of pregnancy among adolescent girls still increase and house income still poor. The study used quantitative research design and in some cases qualitative design was used. Interview, focus group discussion and documentary were employed as data collection tools. The total sample size of 150 adolescent girls aged 10-19 years was surveyed. Based on the findings, it is recommended that there is a need of having program which target parents, particularly at equipping them with knowledge and skills of communicating with adolescents on matters pertaining to sexual and reproductive health, improve national economy so as to increase household income in real terms and ensuring that many girls are attaining at least primary and secondary education.