Research Article
A Qualitative Study to Explore the Determinants of Risky Sexual
Behaviors and Pregnancy among Female Adolescents in Sabah,
Malaysia
Idayu Badilla Idris ,
1
Shameer Khan Bin Sulaiman ,
1
Rozita Hod,
1
Hamed Khazaei ,
2
and Nik Nairan Abdullah
3
1
Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2
Malaysia•Japan International Institute of Technology, University Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
Correspondence should be addressed to Idayu Badilla Idris; idayubadilla.idris@gmail.com and Shameer Khan Bin Sulaiman;
shameerkhan85@gmail.com
Received 11 May 2022; Revised 29 October 2022; Accepted 16 November 2022; Published 28 November 2022
Academic Editor: Manvinder Singh
Copyright © 2022 Idayu Badilla Idris et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Tis investigation was performed in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah state, where the highest number of pregnancies is recorded. Te
purpose of this study was to determine variables associated with hazardous sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy in
Sabah, Malaysia. Te fndings indicate that familial variables, peer interactions, self•esteem, psychiatric concerns, eco•
nomic considerations, and sex knowledge all play a signifcant role in hazardous sexual conduct and adolescent pregnancy
in Sabah, Malaysia. Information obtained from this study will help the Malaysian government and other ofcials to design
and establish proper interventions that will help alleviate the challenge of high prevalence of teenage pregnancy. It is
suggested that sex education be included in the high school curriculum, along with physical and health education in Sabah,
Malaysia.
1. Background of the Study
Teenage pregnancy is one of the social concerns in the world
as well as in Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak are showing a high
rate of total teenage births, respectively [1, 2]. According to
the 2011 WHO report, 15.9 million infants were born to
adolescent mothers, accounting for approximately 15% of
worldwide maternal mortality (Minhatet al., 2021). Despite
greater eforts to educate the entire public, and adolescents,
in particular, public health concerns concerning Malaysian
adolescents’ sexual habits continued [3, 4]. According to the
state health ministry, the state of Sabah has recorded the
highest number of teenage pregnancy cases, and its
neighboring state Sarawak has recorded the second most
teenage pregnancies in Malaysia [5]. It is startling to see that
most teenagers at the age of 18 years are highly sexually
active, resulting in high teenage pregnancies [5]. As Malaysia
rapidly urbanizes and industrializes, the new generation not
only overcomes developmental obstacles but also be pre•
pared to deal with a plethora of environmental problems and
pressures [6, 7]. Premature sexual activities among teenagers
increase the risk of unprotected sex and various sex partners
that may end up in sexual spread infections, such as the risk
of premature rupture of membranes, acquired immuno•
defciency syndrome (AIDS), postpartum infection [8, 9],
and preterm labor, which may infuence their study and
future. Numerous risk factors for adolescent pregnancy
include poverty, a lack of parental supervision, a lack of
educational opportunities, and peer pressure [10]. It is
therefore important to identify the contributing factors for
premarital sexual behaviors among Malaysian adolescents in
Sabah.
Hindawi
Obstetrics and Gynecology International
Volume 2022, Article ID 1866326, 10 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1866326