Assessing an Educational Intervention Program on Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour Towards Pregnancy Prevention Based on Health Belief Model Amongst Adolescent Girls in Northern Ghana

Adolescent pregnancy is a global problem because of its health, social, economic and political repercussions on the globe. According to WHO about 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some 1 million girls under 15years give birth every year, mostly in low and middle-income countries. Babies born to adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of dying than those born to women aged 20 to 24. Pregnant adolescents also develop psychological problems from social stigma, suffering physical and domestic violence in her attempt to meeting the demands of pregnancy and childbearing. Children born to adolescents are at risk of malnutrition, low mental and physical development, inappropriate social connection with parents and poor education.

The factors associated with adolescent pregnancies include early marriages, poor social and economic support. Curiosity and peer pressure, lack of sexuality education, poor reproductive health services and poor attitude of health workers to providing contraceptive services for adolescents amongst others.

Ghana developed a number of policies to improve adolescent development through the provision of youth focus friendly health services in the country. However, adolescent pregnancy has not declined as expected.

The Health Belief Model is one of the appropriate health promotion models designed to predict preventive health behaviours, and it has enhanced preventive health behaviours in breast cancer screening and prevention of risky sexual behaviours in adolescents as well as prevention of iron deficiency anaemia. Schools are the best site for providing health education and promotion interventions because students spend most of the time in school and health promoters have the opportunity of reaching a large number of participants. Students of Senior High Schools in Ghana are adolescents and most of them are sexually active and has little knowledge about sex education and use of contraceptives. Therefore, providing comprehensive sex education to adolescents in schools will increase their knowledge; enhance their attitude and behavior towards pregnancy prevention.

This study, therefore, is intended to assess the impact of an educational intervention program on the knowledge, attitude and behavior towards pregnancy prevention based on Health Belief Model amongst adolescent girls in Northern Ghana.

The main objective is to assess the impact of an educational intervention program on knowledge, attitude and behavior towards pregnancy prevention based on Health Belief Model amongst adolescent girls in Northern Ghana.

Study design: The study shall be an interventional research using Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial to assess the impact of an educational program on the knowledge, attitude and behavior of adolescents towards teenage pregnancy using a researcher-structured questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model and a validated psychometric "Teen Attitude Pregnancy Scale" Intervention: A comprehensive sex education program shall be delivered in approximately six (6) sessions comprising of an introductory lesson on susceptibility and severity of teenage pregnancy, personal and community values, female reproductive system, contraceptives and decision-making. A qualified midwife shall conduct the health education program. Teaching and learning materials shall include flip charts, contraceptives, short videos, role-play scenarios among others. A practical demonstration, group discussion, lectures, role-play and interactive learning methods shall be employed. Attitudinal and behavioural intervention strategies shall be adopted for the study based on the Taxonomy of Behavior Change Techniques for interventions

Inclusion criteria

• Only unmarried adolescent female high school students shall be included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Girls who do not want to participate and those who do not fall within the adolescent age group as well as married adolescents shall be excluded