Abstract
Aims
This study sought to assess the association between reproductive health decision-making (RDM) capacity and pregnancy termination among women in Ghana.
Methods
Using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, the study sample inluded 5437 women of reproductive age. Data were extracted and analysed using STATA version 14.2. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to establish the association between the explanatory and outcome variable.
Results
The prevalence of pregnancy termination was 30.4%. Twenty-eight percent (27.7%) of those who had the capacity to make a reproductive health decision had ever terminated a pregnancy. In the multivariate analysis, women who were capable of taking reproductive health decisions, women aged 45–49 (AOR = 7.3, 95% CI = 3.772, 14.24) years, women from the Ashanti region (AOR = 1.414, 95% CI = 1.095, 1.827), women who were using traditional methods of contraception (AOR = 1.636, 95% CI = 1.168, 2.290) and women who watched TV at least once a week (AOR = 1.332, 95% CI = 1.111, 1.596) had higher odds of terminating a pregnancy. On the other hand, women who had a higher level of education (AOR = 0.682, 95% CI = 0.467, 0.946) and women with 4+ (AOR = 0.441, 95% CI = 0.323, 0.602) children had lower odds of terminating pregnancies.
Conclusion
RDM capacity, region, contraceptive use and intention, media exposure, level of education and parity are associated with pregnancy termination among Ghanaian women. To reduce pregnancy termination, regular integrated community-based outreach programmes targeted at generating community awareness of the effectiveness of modern contraception in prevention of unintended pregnancy are needed. Such efforts will go a long way toward reducing unintended pregnancy and subsequently bringing about reductions in induced abortion.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to MEASURE DHS for granting us access to the data. We acknowledge Mr. Ebenezer Agbaglo of the Department of English, University of Cape Coast, who thoroughly copy edited this manuscript for language usage, spelling and grammar.
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Conception and design of study: AS; analysis and/or interpretation of data: AS; drafting the manuscript: AS, BOA WA, HA, FB; revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content, AS, BOA WA, HA, FB.
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The 2014 GDHS was conducted under the scientific and technical supervision of the Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Health Service (GHS), National Public Health Reference Laboratory of the GHS and Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. ICF International through the DHS Program approved the survey and provided technical assistance. Informed consent was obtained from all the respondents before the commencement of interviews with each respondent.
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This manuscript is an original work and has been prepared by the authors, AS, BOA WA, HA and FB, who all are aware of its content and approve its submission. The manuscript has not been published elsewhere in part or in entirety and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors give their consent for publication in the Journal of Public Health.
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Seidu, AA., Ahinkorah, B.O., Agbemavi, W. et al. Reproductive health decision-making capacity and pregnancy termination among Ghanaian women: Analysis of the 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey. J Public Health (Berl.) 29, 85–94 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01105-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01105-0