Abortion in Bosomtwe District, Ashanti, Ghana: a Case Control Study at St. Michael’s Hospital, Jachie – Pramso
Loading...
Date
2009-07-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Strategies for preventing unsafe abortion have been unyielding as a result of which many women die and develop complications from unsafe abortion including those resulting in induced abortion ending up as incomplete abortion. There is increase in incidence of death due to abortion at Bosomtwe district.
This study was an un-matched case-control study with the objective of assessing the specific differences in the socio-demographic, economic and reproductive health characteristic of incomplete abortion clients (cases) and normal delivery clients (controls) attending St. Michael’s Hospital, Bosomtwe district. A comparative analysis of 61 cases and 129 controls revealed that, there is no significant difference in their age (p=0.61), marital status (p=0.11), educational level (p=0.63) and their religious background (p=0.61). There was also no difference in their occupation (p=0.52), income earned (p=0.96) and partners employment status (p=0.40). There was a statistical difference in the reproductive history between the groups in terms of the number of children (p=0.000), age of last child (p=0.000), and number pregnancies lost (p=0.000). Cases were 12.7 times more likely to have had abortion; 19.0 times more likely to have attempted to stop the index pregnancy; and 6 times more likely to have self induced the index pregnancy as a means of termination as compared to controls.
It is recommended that stakeholders, especially the district health directorate should use specific predictors for incomplete abortion among women to educate and encourage them to live a healthy reproductive life.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health (Mph) In Population And Reproductive Health