ArticlePloS one2024
Individual and contextual factors associated with abortion among reproductive age women in sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from 24 recent demographic and health surveys.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Application of machine learning algorithms for prediction of abortion and its determinants among women of reproductive-age in East African countries.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Addressing abortion through individual and community-level determinants: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia.PloS one · 2026Article
- Adolescent effective access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of legal, institutional and sociocultural barriers.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Gender differences in comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and safe sex practices among sexually active young people (15-24 years) in Nigeria: insights from the 2008-2018 demographic and health surveys.AIDS research and therapy · 2025Article
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12 authors.
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Abstract
introductionDespite the Sustainable Development Goal to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, abortion remains one of the top five causes of maternal mortality in low and middle-income countries. However, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the pooled prevalence and determinants of abortion in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the pooled prevalence and determinants of abortion among women of reproductive age in 24 SSA countries using the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys.
methodsThe most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 24 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries were analyzed, using a weighted sample of 392,332 women of reproductive age. To address the clustering effects inherent in DHS data and the binary nature of the outcome variable, a multilevel binary logistic regression model was employed. The results were reported as adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to indicate statistical significance. Additionally, the model with the lowest deviance was identified as the best fit for the data.
resultsThe pooled prevalence of abortion in SSA were 6.93% (95%CI: 5.38, 8.48). Older age (AOR = 3.71; 95%CI: 3.46, 3.98), ever married (AOR = 3.87; 95%CI: 3.66, 4.10), being educated (AOR = 1.35; 95%CI: 1.28, 1.44), having formal employment (AOR = 1.19; 95%CI: 1.16, 1.23), traditional contraceptive use (AOR = 1.27; 95%CI: 1.19, 1.36) and media exposure (AOR = 1.37; 95%CI: 1.32, 1.41) found to be a predisposing factors for abortion. While high parity (AOR = 0.72; 95%CI: 0.68, 0.76), rural residence (AOR = 0.87; 95%CI: 0.85, 0.91), and rich (AOR = 0.96; 95%CI: 0.93, 0.99) wealth index were a protective factors.
conclusionThe study found that the pooled prevalence of abortion in Sub-Saharan Africa is 7%. Potential interventions include comprehensive sexual education to inform and empower women, increased access to modern contraceptives to reduce unintended pregnancies, improved healthcare services especially in rural areas, economic empowerment through education and employment opportunities, media campaigns to disseminate information and reduce stigma, and policy development to ensure safe and legal access to abortion services. These interventions aim to improve reproductive health outcomes and reduce unsafe abortions in SSA.
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