Do Community Characteristics Influence Unintended Pregnancies in Kenya?

Background: Most existing studies on unintended pregnancies tend to examine the influence of individual socio-demographic and health characteristics without sufficient attention to community characteristics. This study examines community characteristics influencing unintended pregnancies in Kenya.

Methods: Data were extracted from the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). The outcome variable was unintended pregnancy. The explanatory variables were selected individual and community level variables. The Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was applied.

Results: Findings show 41.9% prevalence of unintended pregnancies. Community characteristics such as community education, community timing for initiation of childbearing, community fertility norms, and community media exposure significantly influence the likelihood of unintended pregnancies. The Intra-Cluster Correlation (ICC) provided evidence that community characteristics had effects on unintended pregnancies.

Conclusion: There is evidence that community characteristics influence the prevalence of unintended pregnancies in Kenya. Community sensitisation and mobilisation should be central to all efforts aiming to reduce prevalence of unintended pregnancies.