PREVALENCE AND TRIGGERING FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH UNINTENDED PREGNANCY IN SOUTH ASIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EVIDENCE FROM DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY DATA

Abstract

Unintended pregnancy is a global social health concern among women from developing countries. It plays a significant role in the women's health condition, their children, and their family economy, particularly in South Asia (SA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The prime concentration of this study was to explore the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and point out the factors associated with unintended pregnancy in the women from the SA and SSA regions. This study utilized the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 35 developing countries from the SA and SSA region for analysis purposes. Univariate analysis was conducted to calculate the prevalence, and bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied to explore associated factors of unintended pregnancy. Results revealed that unintended pregnancies accounted for 20.50 % of combined data of the SA and SSA region. There were 17.40% and 25.10% unintended pregnancies found in SA and SSA countries. Binary logistic regression indicated that the age of the respondent (OR=1.28, CI=1.20-1.36) was a highly influential factor for unintended pregnancy in the selected countries. Besides this variable, place of residence, educational level, family size, household head, wealth index, age at first birth, contraceptive method, and current residence with a partner were found to be significant critical factors in determining the risk of unintended pregnancy in both regions. Several intervention programs on reproductive and maternal health care, such as increasing awareness among teenage women from the rural areas, and women with wealthy family backgrounds, are highly recommended to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy.