ArticleBMJ open2021
Unintended pregnancy, induced abortion and abortion care-seeking experiences among adolescents in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Assessing Teenage Girls' Awareness of the Health Risks of Illegal Abortion: A Case Study Protocol in Lusikisiki.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Personal experience with abortion: a determining factor in Physician's attitudes towards abortion.AJOG global reports · 2025Article
- Perspectives on delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services to young people: focus group discussions with civil society organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Global health action · 2024Article
- Magnitude, determinants, and adverse outcomes of unintended pregnancy among pregnant mothers in low- and middle-income countries: An umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2024Review
- Article
- Expanding access to safe abortion in DRC: charting the path from decriminalisation to accessible care.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2023Review
- Article
- Expanding contraceptive choice among first-time mothers age 15-24 in Kinshasa: The Momentum pilot project.Frontiers in global women's health · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate age-specific abortion incidence and unintended pregnancy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and compare care experiences between adolescents (15-19 years) and older women (20-49 years).
designWe used the age-specific variant of the Abortion Incidence Complications Method to estimate abortion and unintended pregnancy, with data from three primary sources: Health Facility Survey (n=361) provided postabortion care (PAC) caseloads; Prospective Morbidity Survey (n=1031) provided the age distribution and characteristics of women presenting for PAC and Health Professional Survey (n=115) provided an estimate of the proportion of abortions resulting in facility-based treatment of complications. Bivariate (χ
settingHealth facilities proving PAC in Kinshasa.
participantsWomen who presented to PAC facilities with abortion complications and their care providers. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measures were abortion incidence and proportion of pregnancies unintended. The secondary measures were the odd of reporting specific abortion care experiences.
resultsAdolescents had an estimated 27 590 induced abortions, constituting 18.8% of abortions in Kinshasa in 2016. Adolescents had the lowest abortion rate among women less than 35 years (55.2/1000 women) but the highest rate among ever sexually active women (138.4/1000) and recently sexually active women (167.2/1000). Also, adolescents had the highest abortion ratio (82.4/100 live births), proportion of pregnancies unintended (80%) and proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion (49%). Compared with older women, adolescents had higher odds of reporting pregnancy unintendedness (adjusted OR, AOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.75 to 2.24), seeking abortion at later than first trimester (AOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.63) and from non-medical professionals (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.31 to 2.14), and not using contraceptives before pregnancy (AOR 2.23, 95% CI 2.77 to 3.43) or postabortion (AOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.87 to 3.29).
conclusionsInterventions are needed to reduce unintended pregnancy among adolescents in Kinshasa and improve their abortion care experiences.
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