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Seifu BL, Asebe HA, Legesse BT, Mulaw GF, Tebeje TM, Mare KU. Prognostic factors of first intimate partner violence among ever-married women in Sub-Saharan Africa: Gompertz gamma shared frailty modeling. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303187. [PMID: 38820457 PMCID: PMC11142580 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence, is a significant Concern for public health as well as a violation of the human rights of women especially in low and middle-income countries. However, there was limited evidence how soon an ever-married women experience intimate partner violence in Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the timing of first intimate partner violence (FIPV) among ever-married women in 30 SSA countries and to identify the risk factors of the timing. METHODS The present study has utilized 125,731 weighted samples, who participated in the domestic violence module of the survey from Demographic and Health Surveys of 30 SSA countries. The Gompertz gamma shared frailty model was fitted to determine the predictors. For model evaluation, the theta value, Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC), and deviance were used. The Adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported in the multivariable Gompertz gamma shared frailty model to highlight the strength and statistical significance of the associations. RESULT One-third (31.02%) of ever-married women had reported experiencing IPV. The overall incidence rate of FIPV was 57.68 persons per 1000 person-years (95% CI = 50.61-65.76). Age at marriage, age difference, educational status, employment, residence, women's decision-making autonomy, husband who drink alcohol and wealth status were significantly associated with the timing of FIPV. CONCLUSION The findings show that ever-married women are at high and increasing risk of violence. Thus, we recommend establishing effective health and legal response services for IPV, strengthening laws governing the sale and purchase of alcohol, empowering women, raising the educational attainment of women, and putting policies in place to combat the culture of societal tolerance for IPV all contribute to the empowerment of women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beminate Lemma Seifu
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Samara University, Samara, Ethiopia
| | - Hiowt Altaye Asebe
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Samara University, Samara, Ethiopia
| | - Bruck Tesfaye Legesse
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatal Nursing, Institute of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia
| | - Getahun Fentaw Mulaw
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
- Department of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia
| | - Tsion Mulat Tebeje
- School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
| | - Kusse Urmale Mare
- Department of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Samara University, Samara, Ethiopia
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Lowe H, Mannell J, Faumuina T, Sinclair L, Tamanikaiyaroi L, Brown L. Violence in childhood and community contexts: a multi-level model of factors associated with women's intimate partner violence experience in Samoa. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. WESTERN PACIFIC 2024; 42:100957. [PMID: 38058423 PMCID: PMC10696102 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects approximately 26% of women worldwide and is driven by a complex interplay of factors across individual, relationship/household, community and societal levels. Individual and relationship/household factors are well studied however little empirical evidence exists on factors at the community level that drive IPV which are needed to inform prevention interventions. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, multi-level analysis of factors associated with women's IPV experience in Samoa using the 2019-20 Demographic and Health Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. We used hierarchical multivariable logistic regression to assess individual, relationship/household and community level effects on women's risk of physical, sexual and/or emotional IPV. Findings The past year prevalence of physical, sexual and/or emotional IPV among women in Samoa was 31.4%. At the individual and relationship/household level, women's employment, witnessing IPV between parents, experiencing physical abuse from a parent, and partner's alcohol use and controlling behaviours were associated with higher risk of IPV. At the community level, higher levels of women with higher education and involved in household decision-making, and higher levels of men in employment were protective against IPV. Interpretation A complex interplay of factors across individual, relationship/household and community levels are associated with women's experience of IPV in Samoa. Experiences of IPV are embedded within a broader context of violence against children and harmful alcohol use. Community contexts, including women's empowerment and men's employment, are also associated with women's IPV experience in Samoa. These findings not only demonstrate that public health issues such as IPV, violence against children and harmful alcohol use should be addressed together as part of multi-pronged approaches, but they point towards the importance of community-level analyses for designing and delivering community-based interventions. Greater knowledge of community dynamics will enable community-based interventions to create environments at the community level that support meaningful and sustainable change towards IPV prevention. Funding Funding for this study was provided by UKRI (ref. MR/S033629/1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hattie Lowe
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Jenevieve Mannell
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | | | | | - Lineta Tamanikaiyaroi
- Faculty of Technical Education, National University of Samoa, Apia, P.O. Box 5768, Samoa
| | - Laura Brown
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
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Tiruneh FN, Ntenda PAM, Tamir T. The association of intimate Partner violence and decision making power on nutritional status of married women in Ethiopia: a multilevel mixed-effect analysis. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:308. [PMID: 37312125 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02459-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of research has established a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and decision-making autonomy on women's mental, physical, and reproductive health consequences, as well as child nutritional status. However, there is a scarcity of research on the effects of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. To date, no research has been conducted in Ethiopia to investigate the impact of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between IPV and decision-making power at both the individual and community levels on women's nutritional status. METHODS We analyzed data from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey. Our study focused on 3,660 married non-pregnant women of reproductive age. We used the chi-squared test and spearman correlation coefficients for bivariate analysis. The relationship between IPV and decision making power with nutritional status was evaluated using multilevel binary logistic regression models while controlling other determinants. RESULTS Around 28% of women reported at least one of the four types of IPV. Approximately 32% of women had no decision-making power at home. About 27.1% of women were underweight (BMI < 18.5), while 10.6% were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25). Women who had sexual IPV had a higher chance of being underweight (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI: 2.02-4.38) than women who had no sexual IPV. While women who had decision-making power at home were at lower odds of being underweight (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69-0.98) than their counterparts. The findings also revealed a negative relationship between being overweight/obese and community-level women's decision-making autonomy (AOR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.34-0.89). CONCLUSIONS Our findings show the presence of a significant association between IPV & decision-making autonomy with women's nutritional status. Therefore, effective policies and programs to end violence against women and encourage women to participate in decision-making are required. This will help to improve the nutritional status of women as well as the nutritional outcomes of their families. This study suggests that efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG5) may have an impact on other SDGs particularly SDG2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fentanesh Nibret Tiruneh
- Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
| | - Peter Austin Morton Ntenda
- Malaria Alert Centre, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Private Bag 360, Blantyre 3, Chichiri, Malawi
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Hailu HT, Mekonnen W, Gufue ZH, Weldegebriel SG, Dessalegn B. Intimate partner violence as a determinant factor for spontaneous abortion during pregnancy: an unmatched case-control study. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1114661. [PMID: 37346110 PMCID: PMC10280812 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1114661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Intimate partner violence affects a significant portion of women worldwide throughout their lifetimes. Ethiopia lacks data that policymakers could utilize to develop context-specific policies for handling intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Objectives To identify the determinants of spontaneous abortion among women survivors of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Adigrat General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia, in 2020. Methods A facility based, case-control study design was employed to recruit 371 women (124 cases and 247 controls) attending maternal health services in Adigrat General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia, from March 13 to June 12, 2020. Cases and controls were selected using a consecutive sampling technique. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was carried out to identify potential factors, and a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results The proportion of any form of intimate partner violence during pregnancy among cases and controls was 53.23 and 34.82%, respectively. Any form of intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.66; 95% CI 1.69-7.95), physical intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI 1.69-7.95), and an interpregnancy interval of <24 months (AOR = 4.46; 95% CI 1.65, 12.07), were the independent determinants of spontaneous abortion among survivors. Conclusion Spontaneous abortion was significantly associated with exposure to any form of intimate partner violence, including physical intimate partner violence, and a shorter inter-pregnancy interval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Teweldebrhan Hailu
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Adigrat University, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Wubegzier Mekonnen
- Department of Reproductive Health and Health Service Management, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Zenawi Hagos Gufue
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Adigrat University, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | | | - Berhe Dessalegn
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Adigrat University, Tigray, Ethiopia
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Mannell J, Lowe H, Brown L, Mukerji R, Devakumar D, Gram L, Jansen HAFM, Minckas N, Osrin D, Prost A, Shannon G, Vyas S. Risk factors for violence against women in high-prevalence settings: a mixed-methods systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMJ Glob Health 2022; 7:bmjgh-2021-007704. [PMID: 35296455 PMCID: PMC8928330 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Violence against women (VAW) affects one in three women globally. In some countries, women are at much higher risk. We examined risk factors for VAW in countries with the highest 12-month prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence (IPV) to develop understanding of this increased risk. METHODS For this systematic review, we searched PUBMED, CINAHL, PROQUEST (Middle East and North Africa; Latin America and Iberia; East and South Asia), Web of Science, EMBASE and PsycINFO (Ovid) for records published between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2021 in English, French and Spanish. Included records used quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods, reported original data, had VAW as the main outcome, and focused on at least one of 23 countries in the highest quintile of prevalence figures for women's self-reported experiences of physical and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months. We used critical interpretive synthesis to develop a conceptual model for associations between identified risk factors and VAW. RESULTS Our search identified 12 044 records, of which 241 were included for analysis (2 80 360 women, 40 276 men, 274 key informants). Most studies were from Bangladesh (74), Uganda (72) and Tanzania (43). Several quantitative studies explored community-level/region-level socioeconomic status and education as risk factors, but associations with VAW were mixed. Although fewer in number and representing just one country, studies reported more consistent effects for community-level childhood exposure to violence and urban residence. Theoretical explanations for a country's high prevalence point to the importance of exposure to other forms of violence (armed conflict, witnessing parental violence, child abuse) and patriarchal social norms. CONCLUSION Available evidence suggests that heightened prevalence of VAW is not attributable to a single risk factor. Multilayered and area-level risk analyses are needed to ensure funding is appropriately targeted for countries where VAW is most pervasive. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER The review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020190147).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hattie Lowe
- Institute for Global Health, UCL, London, UK
| | - Laura Brown
- Institute for Global Health, UCL, London, UK
| | | | | | - Lu Gram
- Institute for Global Health, UCL, London, UK
| | | | | | - David Osrin
- Institute for Global Health, UCL, London, UK
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Tiruneh FN, Asres DT, Tenagashaw MW, Assaye H. Decision-making autonomy of women and other factors of anemia among married women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of a countrywide survey. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:1497. [PMID: 34344337 PMCID: PMC8336366 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11538-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anemia is one of the world's public health problem, especially in developing nations. The majority of women of childbearing age (15-49) are affected by anemia. Women's role in the decision-making process is significant for their health and related issues such as anemia. So far, there is no evidence of women's decision-making autonomy on anemia. Consequently, this study aimed to robustly examine both individual- and group-level women's decision-making autonomy and other determinants of anemia among married women in Ethiopia. METHODS We examined data from an Ethiopian demographic and health survey conducted in 2016. Our analysis included 9220 married women of childbearing age (15-49 years). For bivariate analysis, we applied the chi-squared (X2) test. The relationship between individual and group-level women's decision-making autonomy and anemia was assessed using multilevel binary logistic regression models while adjusting other socio-demographic and economic characteristics. RESULTS In this study the magnitude of anemia was 30.5% (95% CI; 29.5-31.4). According to our multilevel analysis, group-level women's autonomy was found to be negatively related with anemia than individual-level women's autonomy (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.41-0.69). In addition, the indicator of women's wealth index at group level was a protective factor (AOR = 0.68, 95% CI =0.51-0.90) to develop anemia. Among individual-level indicators women's age (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.60-0.89), use of contraceptive (AOR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.55-0.81), BMI (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.59-0.86) and employment status (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.98) were negatively related with anemia. While women who follow Muslim religion (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.32-1.97,), women who had five and above number of children (AOR = 93, 95% CI = 1.53-2.46), and who were pregnant (AOR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.04-1.40) were positively associated with anemia. Our final model showed that around 27% of the variability of having anemia was because of group-level differences (ICC = 0.27, P < 0.001). In addition, both individual and group-level factors account for 56.4% of the variance in the in the severity of anemia across communities (PCV = 56.4%). CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that empowering women within households is not only an important mechanism to reduce anemia among married women but also serves as a way to improve the lives of other women within the society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fentanesh Nibret Tiruneh
- Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Degnet Teferi Asres
- Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Mesfin Wogayehu Tenagashaw
- Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Hirut Assaye
- Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
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Identifying the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in Humanitarian Settings: Using an Ecological Framework to Review 15 Years of Evidence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18136963. [PMID: 34209746 PMCID: PMC8297014 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive form of gender-based violence that exacerbates in humanitarian settings. This systematic review examined the myriad IPV impacts and the quality of existing evidence of IPV in humanitarian settings. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) procedures, a total of 51 articles were included from the 3924 screened. We identified the impact of IPV across two levels of the ecological framework: individual and microsystem. Our findings corroborated previous evidence that indicated IPV to be associated with adverse physical and mental health for survivors. Our findings also uniquely synthesized the intergenerational impact of IPV in humanitarian settings. However, findings highlighted a glaring gap in evidence examining the non-health impact of IPV for survivors in humanitarian settings and across levels of the ecological framework. Without enhanced research of women and girls and the violence they experience, humanitarian responses will continue to underachieve, and the needs of women and girls will continue to be relegated as secondary interests. Investment should prioritize addressing the range of both health and non-health impacts of IPV among individuals, families, and communities, as well as consider how the humanitarian environment influences these linkages.
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Tiruye TY, Chojenta C, Harris ML, Holliday E, Loxton D. Intimate partner violence against women and its association with pregnancy loss in Ethiopia: evidence from a national survey. BMC WOMENS HEALTH 2020; 20:192. [PMID: 32887604 PMCID: PMC7650300 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-020-01028-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is major public health problem that affects many dimensions of women’s health. However, the role of IPV on women’s reproductive health in general and pregnancy loss in particular, is largely unknown in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study investigated the association between IPV and pregnancy loss in Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective analysis of nationally representative data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) was conducted. Married women of reproductive age (15–49 years) who participated in the domestic violence sub-study of the survey were included in the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated using multilevel logistic regression models to represent the association of IPV with outcome variable. Results Among 4167 women included in the analysis, pregnancy loss had been experienced by 467 (11.2%). In total, 1504 (36.1%) participants reported having ever experienced any form of IPV, with 25.1, 11.9, and 24.1% reporting physical, sexual and emotional IPV respectively. A total of 2371 (56.9%) women had also experienced at least one act of partner controlling behaviour. After adjusting for potential confounders, a significant association was observed between IPV (a composite measure of physical, sexual and emotional abuse) and pregnancy loss (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.54, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.12, 2.14). The odds of pregnancy loss were also higher (AOR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.79) among women who had experienced multiple acts of partner controlling behaviours, compared with women who had not experienced partner controlling behaviours. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) indicated that pregnancy loss exhibits significant between-cluster variation (p < 0.001); about 25% of the variation in pregnancy loss was attributable to differences between clusters. Conclusion IPV against women, including partner controlling behaviour, is significantly associated with pregnancy loss in Ethiopia. Therefore, there is a clear need to develop IPV prevention strategies and to incorporate IPV interventions into maternal health programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tenaw Yimer Tiruye
- Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia. .,Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
| | - Catherine Chojenta
- Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Melissa L Harris
- Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Holliday
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Deborah Loxton
- Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
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Correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy among women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. J Biosoc Sci 2019; 52:382-399. [PMID: 31409440 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932019000518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Unwanted and mistimed pregnancies impose threats on the health and well-being of the mother and child and limit the acquisition of optimal sexual and reproductive health services, especially in resource-constrained settings like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies among women in the DRC. Data were drawn from the 2013-14 DRC Demographic Health Survey (EDS-RDC II). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. Sequential logistic regression modelling including distal (place of residence), intermediate (socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors) and proximal (reproductive health and family planning) factors was performed using multivariate analysis. More than a quarter (28%) of pregnancies were reported as unintended (23% mistimed and 5% unwanted). Women who wanted no more children (aOR 1.21; CI: 1.01, 1.44) had less than 24 months of birth spacing (aOR 2.14; CI: 1.80, 2.54) and those who intended to use a family planning method (aOR 1.24; CI: 1.01, 1.52) reported more often that their last pregnancy was mistimed. Women with five or more children (aOR 2.13; CI: 1.30, 3.49), those wanting no more children (aOR 13.07; CI: 9.59, 17.81) and those with more than 48 months of birth spacing (aOR 2.31; CI: 1.26, 4.23) were more likely to report their last pregnancy as unwanted. The high rate of unintended pregnancies in the DRC shows the urgency to act on the fertility behaviour of women. The associated intermediate factors for mistimed and unwanted pregnancy indicate the need to accelerate family planning programmes, particularly for women of high parity and those who want no more children. Likewise, health promotion measures at the grassroots level to ensure women's empowerment and increase women's autonomy in health care are necessary to address the social factors associated with mistimed pregnancy.
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