ArticlePloS one2019
Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis of demographic and health surveys.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 142 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
142 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Unintended pregnancy among women living with HIV and its predictors in East Africa, 2024. A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- The use of condoms and other birth control methods among sexually active school-going adolescents in nine sub-Saharan African countries.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with first-trimester exposure to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2020Pooled it
- The impact of the SKILLZ intervention on sexual and reproductive health empowerment among Zambian adolescent girls and young women: results of a cluster randomized controlled trial.Reproductive health · 2025Trial
- Positive deviance for promoting dual-method contraceptive use among women in Uganda: a cluster randomised controlled trial.BMJ open · 2021Trial
- Article
- Preferences for characteristics of contraceptive methods: a large, multi-country discrete choice experiment.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Unintended Pregnancy Among Tanzanian Women: Prevalence and Risk Factors From the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Reproductive Health Knowledge, Contraceptive Practices and Predictors of Unprotected Sexual Intercourse among Female Undergraduates in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2026Article
- Unmet need for family planning among adolescent girls and young women (15-24 years) in Ethiopia during the FP2020 period: a propensity score matching analysis using PMA data.Reproduction & fertility · 2026Article
- Effects of pregnancy intention at conception on the continuity of care in maternal healthcare services use in Somalia.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- A theory-based educational intervention to change intention of fetal protection among women with unplanned pregnancies: study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Prevalence of unintended pregnancy and associated factors among women attending antenatal care at a tertiary public health facility in Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
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- Article
- Use effectiveness of the symptothermal method to ameliorate unmet need for family planning in Kisumu County, Kenya.International health · 2026Article
- Why are so many pregnancies still unintended in Ghana? A closer look at factors influencing reproductive autonomy.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Status of unwanted pregnancy and contraceptive needs among women of childbearing age in Chengdu City: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Determinants of an unintended pregnancy among women attending ante natal care at health facilities in Lemi Kura sub city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Institution based case-control study.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
82 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionApproximately 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
methodsThe 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).
resultsWe 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.
conclusionOur 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.
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