Abstract
During the first COVID-19 lockdown in Namibia (March-September 2020), there were an estimated 3,600 teenage pregnancies, an increase from the annual average of 1,400. The regions of Kavango East and West were particularly impacted, reporting 520 and 522 teenage pregnancies respectively. This number is likely also higher, as 2,951 learners in Kavango East and 4,426 learners in Kavango West dropped out of school during the closures, and their status is unknown (United Nations, 2021). In response to these figures, the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO), a youth-focused Namibian non-governmental organization, administered a survey to assess students’ sexual and reproductive health knowledge. This survey will provide baseline information for assessing the effectiveness of a school-based intervention to promote safe sexual behaviours using their re-released “Teenage Pregnancy” info-magazine. Young people completed an in-person survey which included questions relating to demographic characteristics, True/False statements based on key learning objectives of the program, and program content. Questionnaires were administered in groups after school hours by trained facilitators, checked for completeness and confidentiality (assigned IDs used), scanned and shared with the team at McGill University for analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics (t-tests, correlations) were used to compare responses by different groups of students (gender, age, and grade). A total of 13 schools and 794 students aged 13-25 years participated in the survey and were included in data analysis. Knowledge on access and the safe use of contraceptives was limited, suggesting that school-based interventions (such as the OYO program) may be necessary to disseminate this crucial information.
