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Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis of demographic and health surveys

Author

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  • Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
  • Eugene Budu
  • Francis Sambah
  • Linus Baatiema
  • Francis Appiah
  • Abdul-Aziz Seidu
  • Bright Opoku Ahinkorah

Abstract

Introduction: Approximately 14 million unintended pregnancies are recorded annually in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We sought to investigate the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancies among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Materials and methods: The study pooled data from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016 from 29 countries in SSA. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors that influence unintended pregnancies in SSA. Results were presented using odds ratios (OR). Results: We found overall unintended pregnancy prevalence rate of 29%, ranging from 10.8% in Nigeria to 54.5% in Namibia. As compared to women aged 15–19 years, women of all other age categories had higher odds of unintended pregnancies. Married women were 6 times more probable to report unintended pregnancy as compared to women who had never married (OR = 6.29, CI = 5.65–7.01). The phenomenon had higher odds among rural residents as compared to urban residents (OR = 1.08, CI = 1.01–1.16). Women with primary (OR = 0.74, CI = 0.69–0.80) and secondary (OR = 0.71, CI = 0.65–0.77) levels of education had less chances of unintended pregnancies, compared to those with no education. Again, women in all other wealth categories had less probability of unintended pregnancy, as compared to women with poorest wealth status. Conclusion: Our study contributes substantially towards the discourse of maternal wellbeing by unveiling the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy across the SSA region. There is the need for SSA countries with high prevalence of unintended pregnancies to consider past and present successful interventions of other countries within the region such as health education, counselling, skills-building, comprehensive sex education and access to contraception. Much of these efforts rest with the governments of SSA countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Kwabena Ameyaw & Eugene Budu & Francis Sambah & Linus Baatiema & Francis Appiah & Abdul-Aziz Seidu & Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, 2019. "Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis of demographic and health surveys," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0220970
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220970
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Iván Mejía-Guevara & Wenyun Zuo & Eran Bendavid & Nan Li & Shripad Tuljapurkar, 2019. "Age distribution, trends, and forecasts of under-5 mortality in 31 sub-Saharan African countries: A modeling study," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, March.
    2. Lauren Maxwell & Karen Devries & Danielle Zionts & Jeanne L Alhusen & Jacquelyn Campbell, 2015. "Estimating the Effect of Intimate Partner Violence on Women’s Use of Contraception: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Endale Kebede & Anne Goujon & Wolfgang Lutz, 2019. "Stalls in Africa’s fertility decline partly result from disruptions in female education," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116(8), pages 2891-2896, February.
    4. Dereje Habte & Sisay Teklu & Tadele Melese & Mgaywa G M D Magafu, 2013. "Correlates of Unintended Pregnancy in Ethiopia: Results From a National Survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-1, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mills, Rhiana & Comerford, Oonagh & Krong, Rapha & Baraitser, Paula, 2023. "Digital support for first time self-injectable contraceptive users in Nairobi, Kenya: A design evaluation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    2. Abdul-Aziz Seidu & Bright Opoku Ahinkorah & Edward Kwabena Ameyaw & Amu Hubert & Wonder Agbemavi & Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah & Eugene Budu & Francis Sambah & Vivian Tackie, 2020. "What has women’s reproductive health decision-making capacity and other factors got to do with pregnancy termination in sub-Saharan Africa? evidence from 27 cross-sectional surveys," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, July.

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