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The study on which this thesis is based investigated livelihood strategies carried out by
unmarried adolescent mothers (UAMs) of Rural and Urban Katavi, Tanzania, with regard
to their well-being. Specifically, the study (a) examined and compared factors associated
with adolescent pregnancy and pre-marital childbearing, (b) identified various livelihood
typologies carried out by UAMs, (c) compared well-being levels of UAMs in terms of
incomes and assets possessions, (d) identified various sources and types of social support
available to UAMs, and (e) determined food security and nutritional status of UAMs. The
study was conducted in Mpanda Municipal Council and Tanganyika District Council
which represented Urban and Rural Katavi respectively. The design for the study was
cross-sectional, and a mixed methods research approach was adopted. Systematic random
sampling technique was used in which 12 wards out of 31 were selected from both
Mpanda Municipality and Tanganyika District. In Mpanda Municipality, 7 wards were
selected from a total of 15 wards, and thereafter 19 streets were randomly selected for the
study. In Tanganyika District, 5 wards were selected from a total of 16 wards, and
thereafter 20 villages were randomly selected for the study. Convenience sampling
technique was used to identify and select particular hidden populations of UAMs due to
lack of sampling frame. A total of 240 unmarried adolescent mothers participated in the
study, 120 from Mpanda Municipality and another 120 from Tanganyika District.
Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions
(FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and life histories. Quantitative data were
collected through household survey. In addition, secondary data were gathered from
demographic and health surveys as well as other relevant national reports. Descriptive
statistical analysis, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Dietary Diversity
Score (DDS), chi-square, independent samples T test, binary and ordinal logistic
regression and ordinal logistic regression were used to analyse quantitative data by using
IBM SPSS while for qualitative data, content analysis was used for analysis.
The findings showed that there were at least six key factors associated with teenage
pregnancies and premarital childbearing in the study area. These included household
poverty, long periods of parents’ absence from home, peer pressure, separation of families,
poor parent-child communication, neglect of education and vibrant business and
employment environment. The findings also showed that six categories of livelihood
strategies were carried out by UAMs in the study area, and Chi-Square Test showed a
significant relationship (p < 0.001) between livelihood strategies and locality, trading
emerging as the dominant livelihood strategy in both localities. Binary logistic regression
results showed that eight predictors were significantly associated with UAMs’ households’
food security/insecurity whereas the remaining five predictors were not. UAMs’
household size and borrowing food from neighbours and friends were the strongest (p <
0.05) predictors of the model. In addition, across all the food security indicators used in
the study, the discrepancy between rural and urban UAMs food security status remained
apparent, with urban UAMs faring better than their rural counterparts. The findings further
showed that UAMs of urban Katavi had higher well-being levels compared to their rural
counterparts in terms of incomes, assets as well as in some domains of social support.
Descriptive statistics revealed that UAMs in high the well-being category were more
found in Urban compared to Rural Katavi. Results from an independent samples t-test
showed that UAMs of Urban Katavi had significantly higher (p = 0.000) well-being (in
terms of annual earning and total asset value) compared to those of Rural Katavi. The
results from ordinal logistic regression revealed that UAM's residential location, UAM’s
number of livelihood strategies and income generating activities of UAM's mother were
related to well-being levels of UAMs. In terms of social support findings also showed that
UAMs of Urban Katavi received more support compared to their rural counterparts. The study recommends the need for empowering UAMs in both rural and urban contexts on
entrepreneurship and apprenticeship so as to enable them to employ themselves in
sustainable livelihoods. This can be done by various stakeholders interested with women’s
welfare. There is also a need for sensitization among adolescents on the socio-economic
consequences of early motherhood so as to avoid adolescent pregnancies. |
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