PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS TOWARDS THE PREVENTION OF UNPLANNED PREGNANCY IN IYAMHO COMMUNITY SECONDARY SCHOOL, EDO STATE.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the perception and attitudes of adolescents girls towards the prevention of unplanned pregnancy among this demographic in Iyamho community Secondary School, Edo State with a focus on exploring their perception and attitudes towards the prevention of unplanned pregnancy. Utilizing a descriptive survey, 147 secondary female students were sampled randomly. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection, the responses were analyzed using frequency tables, and mean and standard deviation, which provided answers to the research questions. The findings from the research uncovered that unprotected sex, lack of contraceptive use, peer influence are among the factors associated with unplanned pregnancy. The study also found that sex abstinence, use of condoms during sex, intake of oral birth control pills are among the means of preventing unplanned pregnancy. These findings emphasize the need to address the attitude of this demographic in order to enable them make informed choices about their reproductive health. Recommendations include Teenage youth as stakeholders being involved in activities and policies towards the fight against teenage pregnancy, parents spending much time with their teenage children particularly the adolescent girls, intensive sex education programs on the use of contraceptives among teenage youth being provided by both government institutions and lastly appropriate measures being put in place to absorb teenage girls who get pregnant back to school after delivery. Word Count: 220 Keywords: Adolescents, perception, attitudes, unplanned, girls