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Women’s health seeking behavior for pelvic floor disorders and its associated factors in eastern Ethiopia

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Abstract

Background

Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), include urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, anal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse negatively affect physical, psychosocial, and economic wellbeing of women. In developing countries, less than a quarter of women with PFDs seek health care for their problem. Health care seeking for PFDs, and its associated factors, is little known in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess health care seeking for PFDs, associated factors, and deterrents for seeking care.

Methods

From a community based cross sectional study conducted form August 10 to September 4, 2016 to assess pelvic floor disorders, seven hundred four participants with PFDs drawn for health care seeking behavior analysis. Data were collected through interviewed administered questionnaire. Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to investigate the association of the independent variable with health care seeking behaviors. The results are reported in crude and adjusted prevalence ratio with 95% confidence intervals.

Result

Two hundred twenty five (32%; CI: 26.8–35.5) women sought care for their PFDs. Majority 160 (71%) of them seek care from government health facilities. Middle wealth index Adjusted Prevalence Ratio (APR) = 1.4, CI: 1.1, 1.8), autonomous decision making on own health (APR = 1.3, CI: 1.1, 1.7), and sever impact of PFDs on quality of life (APR = 1.4, CI:1.1, 1.9) were identified as associated factors for health care seeking.

Conclusion

A large number of women with pelvic floor disorder did not seek health care: this calls for urgent and tailored intervention to enhance health care seeking behaviors of women with PFD.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledged Haramaya University and Addis Continental Institute of Public health for their technical and financial support. We thankful to women who responded to this survey.

Funding

This study was financially supported by Haramaya University and Addis Continental Institute of Public Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Medical Sciences College, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 235, Harar, Ethiopia

    Merga Dheresa

  2. School of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia & Addis Continental Institutes of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Alemayehu Worku

  3. Health and Medical Sciences College, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia

    Lemessa Oljira, Bezatu Mengistie & Nega Assefa

  4. Addis Continental Institutes of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Yemane Berhane

Authors
  1. Merga Dheresa
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  2. Alemayehu Worku
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  3. Lemessa Oljira
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  4. Bezatu Mengistie
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  5. Nega Assefa
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  6. Yemane Berhane
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Contributions

MD, AW, LO, BM, NA, and YB, contributed to the study design, MD, LO, BM and NA carried out the data collection. MD and AW lead the data analysis and MD, YB, AW, LO, BM and NA reviewed the various version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Merga Dheresa.

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Conflict of interest

None.

Ethics and consent

The study protocol was approved by Haramaya University Health and Medical Sciences College institutional health research ethics review committee. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant. In order to protect the confidentiality of the information, names and ID was not included in the written questionnaires.

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Dheresa, M., Worku, A., Oljira, L. et al. Women’s health seeking behavior for pelvic floor disorders and its associated factors in eastern Ethiopia. Int Urogynecol J 31, 1263–1271 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04309-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04309-1

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