Experiences of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents and Young Women During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study Among Girls and Women in Kenya.

Purpose: This study examines the experiences of pregnant/parenting adolescents and young women during the first two years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study leverages quantitative data collected among a cohort of adolescents and young people aged 15-22 years in three Kenyan counties; Nairobi, Kisumu, and Kilifi at three time points (2020, 2021, 2022), and two rounds of qualitative interviews in the same settings conducted in 2020 and 2022.

Results: Among 2337 (2020), 1438 (2021), and 1669 (2022) respondents, pregnant/parenting adolescents and youth comprised 140 (6%), 101 (7%), and 83 (5%) individuals, respectively.