Girls’ Empowerment and Adolescent Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

Dumisani Enricho Nkhoma, Chia-Ping Lin, Hexin Latumer Katengeza, Charles Jenya Soko, Wanda Estinfort, Yao-Chin Wang, Shing-Hwa Juan, Wen-Shan Jian and Usman Iqbal
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Dumisani Enricho Nkhoma: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Chia-Ping Lin: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Hexin Latumer Katengeza: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Charles Jenya Soko: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Wanda Estinfort: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Yao-Chin Wang: Department of Emergency, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan District, Taoyuan 330, Taiwan
Shing-Hwa Juan: Department of Administration, Yuan’s General Hospital, Lingya District, Kaohsiung 802, Taiwan
Wen-Shan Jian: School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Usman Iqbal: Master Program in Global Health and Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Daan District, Taipei 106, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Background : 21 million girls get pregnant every year. Many initiatives are empowering girls. Various studies have looked at girl empowerment, however, there is contradicting evidence, and even less literature from developing countries. Methods : We searched articles published between January 2000 to January 2019. We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and registered our protocol on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (CRD42019117414). Nine articles were selected for review. Quality appraisal was done using separate tools for qualitative studies, cohort and cross-sectional studies and randomized control trials. Results : Eight studies included educational empowerment, four studies included community empowerment, three studies included economic empowerment, while two studies discussed policy empowerment. Three studies were of fair quality; two qualitative and one cross-sectional study were of high quality, while three studies had low quality. Discussion . Studies showed a favorable impact of girl empowerment on adolescent pregnancies and risky sexual behaviors. Education empowerment came through formal education or health systems such as in family planning clinics. Community empowerment was seen as crucial in girls’ development, from interactions with parents to cultural practices. Economic empowerment was direct like cash transfer programs or indirect through benefits of economic growth. Policies such as contraceptive availability or compulsory school helped reduce pregnancies.

Keywords: girl; empowerment; economy; education; policy; community; adolescent; pregnancy; global health; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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