Factors associated with pelvic floor disorders in Kersa District, eastern Ethiopia: a community-based study

Abstract

Background: Pelvic floor disorders, which diminish the quality of life, disproportionally affect women in developing countries. However, there is a knowledge gap in the understanding of the factors associated with the problem in many countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, we aimed to assess the factors associated with pelvic floor disorders in Ethiopia.

Materials and methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 3432 ever-married women selected through a stratified multistage sampling procedure from the Kersa Health and Demography Surveillance System. Data were collected using structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. A Poisson regression model with robust variance estimation was used to investigate the association of the independent variable with pelvic floor disorder. The results are reported in adjusted prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Overall, the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders was 20.5% (95% CI: 19%-22%). Women who had no education (APR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.04) or had undergone five or more vaginal deliveries (APR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.05), an abortion (APR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.43, 2.38) or episiotomy (APR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.90) were independently associated with having pelvic floor disorders.

Conclusion: Obstetric events are strongly associated with pelvic floor disorders. This finding highlights the greater need for policies to focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment services to mitigate women's suffering from pelvic floor disorders.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Kersa HDSS; Pelvic floor disorders; Vaginal delivery.