Pregnancy Rate and Demographic Characteristics of Unmarried Pregnant Women Aged 15-24 in China, 2009

Rongrong Yang, Beijing Normal University
Donghua Tian, Beijing Normal University
Sanjun Chen, Peking University
Zhiyong Qu, Beijing Normal University

Purpose: This study provides a population-based national estimate of the pregnancy rate in unmarried women (aged 15-24) and explores their demographic characteristics compared to their sexually active but non-pregnant counterparts. Methods: In 2009, the National Survey on Sexual and Reproductive Health for Unmarried Youth in China included 10,970 unmarried women (aged 15-24). Random forest classification was applied to select the most important characteristics from 16 factors including individual-, household- and societal-level characteristics. Results: In 2009, the pregnancy rate (reported) in China was 20.85 pregnancies per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-24. In descending order, age, family income and parental occupations were the key characteristics that distinguished the two groups. Conclusions: The first national estimate of the pregnancy rate in unmarried youth in China was assessed as relatively low. Unmarried pregnancy in China is associated with a low accessibility to contraceptives. Instrumental factors are the important determinants of unmarried pregnancy in China.