Post-War Assessment of the Prevalence and Determinants of Unplanned Pregnancy Among Pregnant Women Attending Public Hospitals in Conflict-Zones of South Wollo, Northeast Ethiopia, 2022, Multi-Center Study

Besfat Berihun Erega; Wassie Yazie Ferede; Fillorenes Ayalew Sisay; Eyaya Habtie Dagnaw; Abeba Belay Ayaliew; Wondimnew Gashaw Ketema; Eyob Shite Lake

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S419346

Post-War Assessment of the Prevalence and Determinants of Unplanned Pregnancy Among Pregnant Women Attending Public Hospitals in Conflict-Zones of South Wollo, Northeast Ethiopia, 2022, Multi-Center Study

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2023 Aug 9:16:1489-1497. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S419346. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Besfat Berihun Erega¹, Wassie Yazie Ferede¹, Fillorenes Ayalew Sisay¹, Eyaya Habtie Dagnaw¹, Abeba Belay Ayaliew¹, Wondimnew Gashaw Ketema², Eyob Shite Lake³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
² Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Worldwide, although unplanned pregnancy seems decreasing, 38% of pregnancies are unintended. In sub-Saharan Africa, unintended pregnancy accounts for more than a quarter of the 40 million pregnancies that occur annually.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of unplanned pregnancy among pregnant women attending public hospitals in conflict-zones of South Wollo zone, Northeast Ethiopia, 2022.

Methods: A multi-center facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 20, 2021 to February 30, 2022 among the hospitals of South Wollo zone that that were destructed by the armed conflict.

Results: The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy in our study was 44.72% (CI=39.40-48.08%).

Conclusion: In this study nearly half of the pregnancies were unplanned, which is shocking to the health care system in the 21^st century.

Keywords: Ethiopia; armed conflict; post-war assessment; unplanned pregnancy.