Knowledge about contraception and factors associated with pregnancy planning in adolescence

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the knowledge of adolescents regarding contraceptive practices and their association with unplanned pregnancies. Method: a cross-sectional study, developed with 258 pregnant adolescents in the Family Health Strategy of Teresina-PI. Data collection was performed from January to July 2015. The associations were identified using the chi-square test, with statistical significance being p<0.05. The strength of associations between the variables was measured through odds ratios and confidence intervals (CI=95%). Results: the study showed that low knowledge of contraceptive practices was associated with pregnancy planning, increasing the chances of an unplanned pregnancy by 4.5%. Conclusion: knowledge is not the only factor responsible, however, it contributes significantly to the outcome of unplanned pregnancy, considering that when the adolescent did not know how to use the morning-after pill, the chance of having an unplanned pregnancy increased by 3.93 times.