Exploring the association between unintended pregnancies and unmet contraceptive needs among Ugandan women of reproductive age: an analysis of the 2016 Uganda demographic and health survey

BACKGROUND

Unintended pregnancy and unmet contraceptive needs pose significant public health challenges, particularly in developing nations, where they contribute to maternal health risks. While previous research has explored determinants of unintended pregnancies, there remains a gap in understanding the association between unplanned pregnancies and unmet contraceptive needs among Ugandan women of reproductive age. This study aimed to assess unmet contraceptive needs and their correlation with unintended pregnancies and other factors in Uganda, utilizing a nationally representative sample.

METHODS

Data was extracted from the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS), a cross-sectional survey conducted in the latter half of 2016. The study encompassed 18,506 women aged 15-49 with a history of at least one prior pregnancy. The primary outcome variable was the planning status of the most recent pregnancy, while the principal independent variable was unmet contraceptive need. Additional variables were controlled in the analysis. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 17, involving descriptive analysis, cross-tabulation, chi-square testing, and logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

A substantial proportion of women reported unintended pregnancies (44.5%), with approximately 21.09% experiencing an unmet need for contraception. In the adjusted model, women with unmet contraceptive needs had 3.97 times higher odds of unintended pregnancy (95% CI = 3.61-4.37) compared to those with met contraceptive needs. Significant factors linked to unintended pregnancies included women's age, place of residence, household wealth status, decision-making authority regarding contraceptive use, educational attainment, husband's occupation, and educational level.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that both the rate of unintended pregnancies and unmet contraceptive needs in Uganda exceeded the global average, warranting urgent policy attention. Addressing unmet contraceptive needs emerges as a potential strategy to curtail unintended pregnancies. Further qualitative research may be necessary to elucidate the sociocultural and behavioral determinants of unwanted pregnancies, facilitating context-specific interventions.

HIV patients retention and attrition in care and their determinants in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There is paucity of evidence on the magnitude of HIV patients' retention and attrition in Ethiopia. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the pooled magnitude of HIV patient clinical retention and attrition and to identify factors associated with retention and attrition in Ethiopia.

METHODS

Systematic review and meta-analysis were done among studies conducted in Ethiopia using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Both published and unpublished studies conducted from January 1, 2005 to June 6th, 2019 were included. Major databases and search engines such as Google Scholar, PUBMED, African Journals Online (AJOL) and unpublished sources were searched to retrieve relevant articles. Data were assessed for quality, heterogeneity and publication bias. Analysis was conducted using STATA version 14 software.

RESULT

From a total of 45 studies 546,250 study participants were included in this review. The pooled magnitude of retention in care among HIV patients was 70.65% (95% CI, 68.19, 73.11). The overall magnitude of loss to follow up 15.17% (95% CI, 11.86, 18.47), transfer out 11.17% (95% CI, 7.12, 15.21) and death rate were 6.75% (95% CI, 6.22, 7.27). Major determinants of attrition were being unmarried patient (OR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.15-2.01), non-disclosed HIV status (OR 6.36, 95% CI: 3.58-11.29), poor drug adherence (OR 6.60, 95% CI: 1.41-30.97), poor functional status (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.33-3.34), being underweight (OR 2.21, 95% CI: 1.45-3.39) and advanced clinical stage (OR 1.85, 95% CI: 1.36-2.51). Whereas absence of opportunistic infections (OR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.9), normal hemoglobin status (OR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.20-0.42) and non-substance use (OR 95% CI: 0.41, 0.17-0.98) were facilitators of HIV patient retention in clinical care.

CONCLUSION

The level of retention to the care among HIV patients was low in Ethiopia. Socio-economic, clinical, nutritional and behavioral, intervention is necessary to achieve adequate patient retention in clinical care.

Anemia in pregnancy at two levels of health care in Ibadan, south west Nigeria

BACKGROUND

In Africa, anemia in pregnancy contributes to non-attainment of the MDG goals 4 and 5. This study examined the prevalence and some risk factors for anemia at two levels of health care in the Ibadan metropolis.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of the booking records of pregnant women at the University College Hospital (UCH, a profit-making tertiary institution) and Adeoyo Maternity Hospital (AMH, a secondary level institution offering free services) in Ibadan, September 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Eligible women had singleton pregnancies and no known chronic illnesses. Anemia was defined as packed cell volume (PCV) < 30%, and degrees of anemia as mild (PCV 27-29%), moderate (PCV 19-26%), and severe (PCV below 19%). Statistical analysis was done by the Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and t-test. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Data from 2702 women (384 and 2318 from UCH and AMH, respectively) were available for analysis. About 30% of the women were anemic. The patients in UCH had higher mean PCV (33.03 ± 4.32 vs. 31. 04 ± 4.09, P = 0.00). A higher proportion of anemia was seen in patients presenting in Adeoyo (32.4% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.00). Factors associated with anemia included young age (P = 0.00), low parity (P = 0.00), and hospital type (P = 0.00). Parity and hospital type remained significant on logistic regression.

CONCLUSION

Lower prevalence of anemia at the tertiary hospital maybe attributed to the higher socioeconomic status of the clientele. Short-term early antenatal management of anemia and long-term economic/educational empowerment is advocated.

Routine antenatal syphilis screening in South west Nigeria- a questionable practice

BACKGROUND

Untreated maternal syphilis is strongly associated with adverse birth outcomes, especially in women with high titre syphilis. The WHO recommends routine serological screening in pregnancy. Some workers have advised a reappraisal of this practice, having demonstrated low sero-prevalence in their antenatal population. In view of this, the aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis in the antenatal population presenting at a major hospital in south-west Nigeria.

METHODS

This was a cross sectional study of healthy pregnant Nigerian women attending Adeoyo Maternity Hospital in the capital of Oyo State. The case record of every pregnant woman presenting for their first antenatal clinic visit over a 4-month period (September 1st to December 31st 2006) was reviewed.

RESULTS

During the study period, two thousand six hundred and seventy-eight women sought antenatal care. Three hundred and sixty-nine women (369; 13.4%) had incomplete records and were excluded from analysis. The records of the 2,318(86.6%) women with adequate records were subsequently reviewed. The mean age of the women was 27.4 years (± 5.34) and the mean gestational age 26.4 weeks (±6.36). The modal parity was 0. Only three patients were found to be reactive for syphilis giving a prevalence of 0.13%.

CONCLUSION

The sero- prevalence value in this study is quite low and may justify the call to discontinue routine antenatal syphilis screening. However, a more rigorous screening program using diagnostic tests with higher sensitivity maybe necessary before jettisoning this traditional aspect of antenatal care.