en عمومى General پژوهشي Research Article <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Background & Aims</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">The phenomenon of child marriages, or the marriage of children under the age of 18, jeopardizes the mental and physical health of millions of children and adolescents worldwide. <a name="_Hlk187836998">This study aimed to investigate the predictors of pregnancy intention among child marriages using the theory of planned behavior in the city of Karun, Southwest Iran.</a></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Materials & Methods</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">:</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"> A descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 344 child marriages in the city of Karun, located in Southwest Iran. The data collection tools consisted of a demographic information questionnaire and a structured theory of planned behavior questionnaire, which included questions related to attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. </span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Results</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">:</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"> All study participants had completed no more than a high school education, with 96.7% having only completed elementary or middle school. Additionally, 99% of participants were housewives. Of the child marriages surveyed, 50.3% reported intending to become pregnant before the age of 18. Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were found to predict 57% of the variance in intended pregnancy among child marriages. Among these factors, subjective norms had the strongest impact on intended pregnancy among child marriages. </span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Conclusion</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">The results of this study showed a high prevalence of pregnancy intention below the age of 18 among child marriages who presented to healthcare centers, which could endanger their health. Given the correlation between the structured theory of planned behavior and intended pregnancy below the age of 18 in child marriage, educational strategies based on predictive factors can be used to educate women about respecting the appropriate age and conditions for pregnancy.</span></span></span></span> Child marriage, Intention, Pregnancy, Theory of planned behavior 140 149 http://hsm.umsu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-259-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Javad Harouni j_harooni@yahoo.com 10031947532846003681 10031947532846003681 No Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran Naser Sharafkhani naser90sh@yahoo.com 10031947532846003682 10031947532846003682 No Department of Health Education & Health Promotion, Mahabad Faculty of Medical Sciences, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Sahar Mehdipour birgani mehdipoorbirgani@gmail.com 10031947532846003683 10031947532846003683 No Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran Narges Roustaei rousta.biostatistics@gmail.com 10031947532846003684 10031947532846003684 No Assistant Professor of Biostatistics School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran Moslem Sharifi shamoslem20@gmail.com 10031947532846003685 10031947532846003685 No Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran Seyed Fazel Zinat Motlagh motlaghf@yahoo.com 10031947532846003686 10031947532846003686 Yes Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran