Table 1.
Measurement Details
| Type | Variable | Measurement Details |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Variable | Pregnancy Knowledge (continuous) | Pregnancy knowledge is comprised of six true or false questions that were asked of youth respondents. These questions included: a) A girl can get pregnant the first time that she has sexual intercourse (T); b) A girl can get pregnant after kissing or hugging (F); c) A girl can swallow a pill every day to protect against pregnancy (T); d) Using a condom can protect against pregnancy (T); e) A girl can have a shot or injection that will protect against pregnancy (T); and f) A girl can use herbs to prevent a pregnancy (F). A continuous score (ranging from 0 to 6) was generated for each youth respondent reflecting the sum of correct responses. Respondents were able to indicate that they “don’t know” or “refuse” to answer the question, such non-response was considered as an incorrect response. |
| Knowledge of where to get condoms (binary) | Knowledge of where to get condoms was captured by the single question: “Tell us if you think the following is true for you: I know where to go to get condoms”. Yes or no responses were considered, while non-responses (i.e. “Don’t understand the question”, “Don’t know”, or “Refuse to answer”) were treated as missing responses. | |
| Knowledge of where to get other birth control (binary) | Knowledge of where to get other birth control was captured by the single question “Tell us if you think the following is true for you: I know where to go if I needed to get contraception (birth control) other than condoms”. Again, yes or no responses were considered, while non-responses were treated as missing. | |
| Key Predictor Variable | Closeness with parent (binary) | Closeness with parent was assessed by the question “Do you feel close to your main caregiver? (By close, we mean that you can talk to that person and tell them about personal and important things)”. Response options for this variable were dichotomized into (1) A lot/somewhat and (2) Not much/not at all. |
| Level of comfort discussing worries with parent (binary) | Level of comfort discussing worries with parent was captured by the question: “How comfortable do you feel talking with your main caregiver about things that worry you?”. Response options for this variable were collapsed into (1) Comfortable and (2) Not at all comfortable. | |
| Parent knowledge of friends (categorical) | Parent knowledge of friends was reflected by the extent to which youth reported that their main caregiver “knows who [their] friends are by name”. Response options were collapsed into three categories: (1) Very true, (2) Somewhat/not very true, and (3) Not true at all. | |
| Parent knowledge of location (categorical) | Parent knowledge of location was captured by youth’s report of the degree to which their main caregiver “usually knows where [they are]”. Response options were collapsed into three categories: (1) Very true, (2) Somewhat/not very true, and (3) Not true at all. | |
| Parent SRH communication (binary) | A dichotomous variable was created to capture whether youth respondents had ever discussed sexual relationships, pregnancy, or contraception with their parent. This variable was generated based on six categorical variables that respectively captured if the respondent had ever discussed any of these subjects and, if so, with whom (i.e. mother/female parent, father/male parent). An affirmative response for this composite variable was recorded if respondents indicated that they had discussed any of the aforementioned topics with a parent. | |
| Control Variable | Age (continuous) | Continuous variable, 10–14 years |
| Age appropriate grade level (binary) | Dichotomous variable reflecting whether or not the youth is currently enrolled in the appropriate grade level for their age | |
| Religiosity (binary) | Dichotomous variable capturing whether religion is (1) very important vs. (2) less important/have no religion | |
| Romantic and sexual engagement of youth respondents (binary) | Dichotomous variable reflecting whether or not the youth had ever engaged in either kissing, touching, sexual intercourse, or a romantic relationship. | |
| Household composition (categorical) | Categorical variable reflecting whether the youth lives with (1) neither, (2) one, or (3) both parents | |
| Sex of the parent (binary) | Dichotomous variable, male or female | |
| Average time spent with peers each week (categorical) | Categorical variable reflecting how often the youth sees their peers each week on average: (1) never/rarely, (2) 1–4 days per week, or (3) daily | |
| Peer Group Composition (binary) | Dichotomous variable reflecting whether a youth’s peer group is composed of (1) members of the same-sex or (2) a mix of both male and female youth. | |
| Youth perception of peer romantic and sexual engagement (binary) | Dichotomous variable reflecting whether or not youth believe that any of their peers have ever engaged in kissing, touching, sexual intercourse, or a romantic relationship. |