Prevalence of Induced Abortion among Female Students in Selected Tertiary Learning Institutions in Gaborone City, Botswana
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Date
2024-03
Authors
Masweu, Mabole
Owaka, Isaac Ogweno
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Scientific Research Publishing
Abstract
Induced abortion signifies that pregnancy has been tempered with. Abortion
is the removal of an embryo or fetus weighing less than 500 grams from its
mother. It can either be spontaneous (unprompted) or induced. Abortion
remains one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in developing countries
with induced abortion being the key cause. In 2014 from January to August, 9
abortion related deaths occurred in Botswana. There are several reasons female students in tertiary institutions resort to seeking induced abortion
which include the socio-demographics like age and socio-economic factors
like financial instability. Parental fears, unintended pregnancy and pressure
from the partner also force females to terminate pregnancy. Induced abortion
has claimed many women’s lives especially in developing countries with very
restrictive abortion laws like Botswana as women do not access safe abortion
care services. The study intends to establish the determinants of induced
abortion among female students in selected tertiary learning institutions in
Gaborone City, Botswana. It concentrated primarily on determining the prevalence of induced abortion. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. Systematic
random sampling technique was used to come up with 278 participants. Prior
to commencement of data collection, all ethical and logistical prerequisites
were satisfied. Informed consent was solicited from all the study participants
and the purpose of the study was fully explained. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Microsoft Excel spread sheet was used to
code, clean, and enter the data, which was then exported for analysis to the
statistical package for social sciences version 24. Frequency distribution tables, percentages graphs, and pie charts were used to illustrate the descriptive information. The study revealed that prevalence of induced abortion
among female students in Gaborone City is 7.9%. They even suggested that
induced abortion be liberalized. Age was the only socio-demographic factor
associated with induced abortion with p = 0.047 using Chi Square test χ2 =
7.609, df = 3. The study findings concluded that female students resort to induced abortion as a result of pressure from both parents and male partners
especially when the pregnancy is unintended. The study recommends that the
abortion law in Botswana be made liberal to ease access to safe abortion care
services. It also recommends that contraceptive commodities should consistently be available in public health facilities.
Description
Article
Keywords
Induced Abortion, Prevalence and Family Planning
Citation
Masweu, M., Owaka, I. O., & Kipkalom, R. (2024). Prevalence of Induced Abortion among Female Students in Selected Tertiary Learning Institutions in Gaborone City, Botswana. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(3), 155-165.