LEARN Lao PDR - Pregnancy health literacy among teenagers in Kaysone district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR

Abstract

Background and Objective: Pregnancy health literacy especially among teenagers is a major protective factor for teenage pregnancy. In Lao PDR, 15% of mother mortality cases are teenage mothers while 18% of girls aged 15-19 have begun child bearing and are more common in rural than urban areas. The aim of this study was to describe pregnancy health literacy and its related factors among teenagers in Kaysone district.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in two villages. The TPHL score was collected in face to face interviews with 262 adolescents using 33 items in January 2019. Calculation of the TPHL index score was based on the HL-EU index formula. The TPHL index was also based on the HL-EU standard level and descriptive statistics were used to explain the score and levels. Descriptive analyses were performed to analyse the individual, family, peer and school variables and to investigate the level of TPHL and linear regression was used to identify factors related to TPHL.

Result: The overall score of TPHL was a mean of 27.07. Most (60%) of the adolescents had problematic TPHL levels and only 0.4% had excellent TPHL levels. There were 15 independent variables in the model of TPHL and after multivariate analysis, TPHL was positively associated with living in urban areas (β=2.42; p=0.002), higher education (β =3.89; p<0.001), schooling (β=0.96; p=0.001), being single (β=1.9; p<0.001), higher education of father and mother (β=0.72; p=0.007; β=0.37; p=0.001) and attending classes where sex education content was included (β=5.12; p<0.001).

Conclusion: The study results showed that most adolescents had problematic TPHL levels. Low TPHL scores show the importance of sexual education for adolescents to be improved and also of increasing TPHL for a good health situation in Lao PDR.