Determinants of Unintended Pregnancy among Currently Married Women in Gozamin Woreda, East Gojjam of Amhara, Ethiopia

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Date

2010-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Context: - It is a universally accepted(act that unintended pregnancy and births could have negative consequencesfor women, children, jelmi!ies and societies at large. The current study aimed to examine the leveL and determinants o(unintended pregnancy among selected women in Gozamen woreda in the Amhara Region. Allethods: - A cross-sectionaL study involving a sampLe of 576 currenrly married wurnen of reproductive age, whose most recent pregnancy occurred within the Last jive years prior to the survey was carried out in three kebeles, selected Fom the study area. ALI pregnancies regardless of outcome are incLuded in the study Data was coLlectedFom 554 re;pondents using a structured questionnaire. A mullistage sampling technique was used to reach the respondents. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques were used in the analysis of the data. Results: - About two out ()ffive women (40.8 percent) reported that their most recent pregnancies were unintended. High percentage o( unintended pregnancy (87.2%) was among re;pondents who were not using modern method o( contraception prior to their most recent pregnancies. Results ()( the multivariate analysis indicated that severaL demographic, socio-economic and family pLanningfactors influence whether a pregnancy is intended or unplanned. Women aged 35 and above (OR: 6.6-14), those who didn 't lise contraceptive prior to the recent pregnancy (OR: 2.047 ), those with no kno,vledge ()( modern contraceptive methods (OR 4.068) and those married to husbands who do not approve contraceptive methods (OR: 3. 962) had a higher chance ()( experiencing unintended pregnancy. Furthermore, those married at the age ()(18 and above (OR: 0.321), re,pondents who have exposure to media (OR: 0.-104), women with at least primm)! education (OR: 0.169), those women working outside home (OR. 0.387) and those married to husbands working in the non-agricultural sector (OR: 0.172) had lower chance o( experiencing unintended pregnancy. Conclusion and recommendation: - Unintended pregnancy was/ound to be a major reproductive health problem in the study area resliiting./i"om the high unmet need/or{amily planning and thus deserves priority allention. Policymokers and program planners need to design programs and services care/idly to reduce unintended pregnancy in the region, especially, services should/ocus on helping those groups o{women who are identified in the analysis as being at increased risk 0/ lInintended pregnancy- illiterate, ,older women aged 35 and above, those who got married at early age ,those who have less knowledge and practice o/contraceptive methods and those who havefive or more living children and women in rural areas.

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unintended pregnancy among currently

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