Unmarried Youth Pregnancy, Outcomes, and Social Factors in China: Findings From a Nationwide Population-Based Survey

Chao Guo; Lihua Pang; Ruoxi Ding; Xinming Song; Gong Chen; Xiaoying Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2019.07.002

Unmarried Youth Pregnancy, Outcomes, and Social Factors in China: Findings From a Nationwide Population-Based Survey

Sex Med. 2019 Dec;7(4):396-402. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2019.07.002. Epub 2019 Aug 23.

Authors

Chao Guo¹, Lihua Pang¹, Ruoxi Ding², Xinming Song², Gong Chen¹, Xiaoying Zheng³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; APEC Health Science Academy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
² Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
³ Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; APEC Health Science Academy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: xzheng@pku.edu.cn.

Abstract

Introduction: Early pregnancies and their poor reproductive outcomes remain increasing concerns.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the pregnancy rate and outcomes and to identify social factors associated with pregnancy among Chinese unmarried youths aged 15-24 years.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Survey of Youth Access to Reproductive Health in China, and 11,076 unmarried female youths were analyzed. Prevalence of pregnancy by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was calculated. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with pregnancy.

Main outcome measure: The main outcome is pregnancy among unmarried female youths during their lifetime.

Results: Among 11,076 female youths, 501 individuals reported 697 premarital pregnancies during their lifetime until the survey was conducted, approximately 62.9 (95% CI: 58.5-67.6) pregnancies per 1,000 female youths. Older age group (odds ratio [OR] = 4.49; 95% CI = 3.60-5.59), low education levels (primary school and below: OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.33-2.37; junior and senior high school: OR 1.44, 95% CI = 1.15-1.80), living in non-eastern regions (central: OR 1.34, 95% CI = 1.06-1.68; west: OR 1.62, 95% CI = 1.28-2.04), cigarette smoking (OR 3.60, 95% CI = 2.76-4.70), alcohol drinking (OR 1.59, 95% CI = 1.28-1.97), from family with mother's education of primary school and below (OR 1.65, 95% CI = 1.11-2.46), and the bottom economic status (OR 1.48, 95% CI = 1.14-1.91) were associated with higher risk of premarital pregnancy among female youths.

Conclusion: The findings justify the national concern for pregnancy among unmarried youth in China. Strategies to improve sexual education in school and family, to enhance the reproductive services for youth, and to increase public awareness of the reproductive health of young people were warranted. Guo C, Pang L, Ding R, et al. Unmarried Youth Pregnancy, Outcomes, and Social Factors in China: Findings From a Nationwide Population-Based Survey. Sex Med 2019;7:396-402.

Keywords: China; Pregnancy Outcomes; Pregnancy Rate; Social Factors; Unmarried Youth.