Abstract
Induced abortion is a common practice for women worldwide; nevertheless, the practice of unsafe abortion rate in Ghana is in height and is a constant issue of public health concern. Objective: The main aim of the study was to identify predictive factors associated with induced abortion among women in Ghana. Methods: Ghana Maternal Health Survey data was used for this study to do an analytic cross-section study. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The association between dependent and independent variables was explored using chi-square and logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: In this study, the prevalence of induced among the respondents was 14.8%, the prevalence was higher (25.5%) in Greater Accra Region and lower (3.2%) in Northern Region. All under-studied independent variables through chi-square analysis were associated with induced abortion with significance. However, in advance analysis through binary logistics regression model predictor factors of induced abortion in Ghana identified were; the age of the respondents’, region of orientation, religious affiliation, marital status, ethnicity, exposure to mobile phone and newspaper, and age at first sex. The logistic regression model appropriately explained the outcome variable (induced abortion) since the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test p-value was more than 0.05 (X2 (8) = 4.428, P = .817). Conclusion: The prevalence of abortion in Ghana is still high, hence the need for increase public education on contraceptive use and the adverse effects of abortion through the use of modern media can go a long way to reduce the incidence of induced abortion in Ghana.
Highlights
Each year 22 million women are involved in unsafe abortion
In states that are engulfed with poor access to safe abortion services and legal abortions, most women with unplanned pregnancies are alternative to the practice of unsafe abortions [3]
Induced abortion is a common practice for women worldwide; the practice of unsafe abortion rates in Ghana is in height
Summary
Each year 22 million women are involved in unsafe abortion. Most (98.0%) of unsafe abortions happen in developing nations [1]. In 2008, the global rate for unsafe abortion stood at 14 per 1000 women for the age group of 15–44, whereas the rate for Sub- Saharan Africa stood as high as 31 per 1000 women within their reproductive age group of 15– 44 [1]. A study that was carried out in Sub- Saharan Africa, did reveal that the majority of induced abortions in the region are largely unsafe as the bulk of them are illegal [2]. Whereas abortions are becoming less problematic worldwide, this is not the same for Africa as evidence points to a rather high rate of hospitalization resulting from complicated abortion due to unsafe practices from the Eastern and sub-Saharan Africa regions. Africa has high rates of gynecological hospitalization from unsafe abortion-related complications [7]
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