Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug 31:5:23992026211033436.
doi: 10.1177/23992026211033436. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

The association between unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancy among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia

Awoke Giletew Wondie  1
Affiliations

The association between unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancy among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia

Awoke Giletew Wondie. Med Access Point Care. .

Abstract

Objectives: An unintended pregnancy and unmet need for contraception remains a serious public health issues both in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the relation between unmet needs for contraception and unintended pregnancy, and identify other factors contributing for unintended pregnancy in Ethiopia.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 7590 mothers were included. The planning status of the last pregnancy was the main outcome variable, and the unmet need for contraception was the primary explanatory variable. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions were carried out. SPSS version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.

Results: More than one-fourth of mothers (26.6%) gave either mistimed or unwanted birth. The rate of unmet need for contraception was 26.5%. Women with unmet need for contraception had (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 10.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.70-12.10) higher odds of experiencing unintended pregnancy than those who met their contraception need. Age, history of pregnancy termination, parity, women's autonomy, and fertility preference were factors associated with unintended pregnancy.

Conclusion: An unintended pregnancy and the unmet need for contraception remain a major public health issue in Ethiopia. A strong positive association between the unmet need for contraception and unintended pregnancy suggests that interventions targeting the unmet need for contraception could reduce unintended pregnancy. Furthermore, empowering women, promoting a clear fertility goal, and improving men's involvement would reduce unintended pregnancy.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Unintended pregnancy; unmet need for contraception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Kevin H. Unintended pregnancies in North Carolina: results from the North Carolina, vol. 136. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, 2002.
    1. Bearak J, PopinChalk A, Alkema L, et al.. Global, regional, and subregional trends in unintended pregnancy and its outcomes from 1990 to 2014: estimates from a Bayesian hierarchical mode. Lancet 2018; 6: e380–e389. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Trends in maternal mortality: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, The World Bank and the United nation Population Division. Geneva: WHO, 2014
    1. Amin-Shokravi F, Howden-Chapman P, Peyman N. A comparison study: risk factors of unplanned pregnancies in a group of Iranian and Newzealander Women. Europ J Sci Res 2009; 26: 108–121.
    1. Singh S, Darroch JE. Adding it up: Costs and benefits of contraceptive services—estimates for 2012, New York. New York: Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 2012.

LinkOut - more resources