Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Abortion Practices among Women Attending Mbagathi Hospital, Nairobi County, Kenya
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Date
2024-09
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Publisher
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Abstract
Background: Abortion is a global health concern with complex implications, particularly in countries like Kenya,
where legal restrictions coexist with prevalent unsafe practices. Despite Kenya's high maternal mortality ratio linked to
unsafe abortions, little research has explored the socio-demographic factors influencing this issue. This study
investigates these dynamics among women at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi County, emphasizing the pressing need for
targeted interventions within the legal framework.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was employed. This study focused on women aged 18–49, utilizing a
census approach at Mbagathi Hospital's gynecology clinic. The study aimed for 100% precision, resulting in 49
respondents chosen through the purposive sampling method among women aged 18–49 with a history of abortions.
Abortion practices were identified as safe and unsafe, and data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire
and analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 22.0. The data was presented in tables and pie
charts.
Results: The study revealed an unsafe abortion rate of 38.8%. The predictors of abortion practices based on sociodemographic factors were; age (AOR=6.170, p=0.002), marital status (married; AOR=0.438, p=0.025;
divorced/widowed/separated; AOR=0.063, p=0.001) and number of children (AOR=0.379, p=0.007).
Conclusions: This study revealed that the socio-demographic factors that predicted abortion practices were; age
(AOR=6.170, p=0.002), marital status (married; AOR=0.438, p=0.025; divorced/widowed/separated; AOR=0.063,
p=0.001) and number of children (AOR=0.379, p=0.007)
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