Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Factors associated with delays in seeking post abortion care among women in Kenya

Authors: Michael M. Mutua, Beatrice W. Maina, Thomas O. Achia, Chimaraoke O. Izugbara

Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Delays in seeking quality post abortion care services remain a major contributor to high levels of mortality and morbidity among women who experience unsafe abortion. However, little is known about the causes of and factors associated with delays in seeking care among women who suffer complications of unsafe abortion. This study looks at factors that are associated with delays in seeking post-abortion care among women in Kenya.

Methods

Data for this study were from a nationally representative sample of 350 healthcare facilities that participated in the 2012 Incidence and Magnitude of Unsafe Abortion study in Kenya. Data included socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive health and clinical histories from all women treated with PAC during a one-month data collection period.

Results

Delay in seeking care was associated with women’s age, education level, contraceptive history, fertility intentions and referral status.

Conclusions

There is need to improve women’s access to quality sexual and reproductive health information and services, contraception and abortion care. Improving current PAC services at lower level facilities will also minimize delays resulting from long referral processes.
Literature
1.
Sedgh G, Singh S, Shah IH, Åhman E, Henshaw SK, Bankole A. Induced abortion: incidence and trends worldwide from 1995 to 2008. The Lancet. 2012;379(9816):625–32.CrossRef
2.
World Health Organization. Unsafe Abortion: Global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2008. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2011.
3.
National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) [Kenya], Ministry of Health (MOH), Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), ORC Macro. Kenya Service Provision Assessment Survey 2004. Nairobi: National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development, Ministry of Health, Central Bureau of Statistics, and ORC Macro; 2005.
4.
National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) [Kenya], Ministry of Medical Services (MOMS) [Kenya], Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MOPHS) [Kenya], Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) [Kenya], Macro I. Kenya Service Provision Assessment Survey 2010. Nairobi: National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development, Ministry of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and ICF Macro; 2011.
5.
6.
Ministry of Health (MoH) [Kenya]. Incidence and complications of unsafe abortion in Kenya: Key findings from a national study. Nairobi: Ministry of Health; 2013.
7.
Johnston HB, Oliveras E, Akhter S, Walker DG. Health system costs of menstrual regulation and care for abortion complications in Bangladesh. Int Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2010;36(4):197–204. doi:10.​2307/​41038667.CrossRefPubMed
8.
9.
The Republic of Kenya. Laws of Kenya: The Constitution of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya; 2010.
10.
11.
Hussain R. Abortion and unintended pregnancy in Kenya. New York: Guttmacher Institute; 2012.
12.
Mayi-Tsonga S, Oksana L, Ndombi I, Diallo T, Sousa MH, Faúndes A. Delay in the provision of adequate care to women who died from abortion-related complications in the principal maternity hospital of Gabon. Reproductive Health Matters. 2009;17(34):65–70. doi:10.​2307/​40647447.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Thaddeus S, Maine D. Too far to walk: maternal mortality in context. Social Science & Medicin. 1994;38(8):1091–110.CrossRef
14.
15.
16.
Ziraba AK, Izugbara C, Levandowski BA, Gebreselassie H, Mutua M, Mohamed SF, et al. Unsafe abortion in Kenya: a cross-sectional study of abortion complication severity and associated factors. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015;15(1):459. doi:10.​1186/​s12884-015-0459-6.CrossRef
17.
Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation. Reversing the trends The Second NATIONAL HEALTH SECTOR Strategic Plan of Kenya. Kenya: Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation; 2008.
18.
Rees H, Katzenellenbogen J, Shabodien R, Jewkes R, Fawcus S, McIntyre J, et al. The epidemiology of incomplete abortion in South Africa. National Incomplete Abortion Reference Group. S Afr Med J. 1997;87(4):432–7.PubMed
19.
Srinil S. Factors associated with severe complications in unsafe abortion. J Med Assoc Thai. 2011;94(4):408–14.PubMed
20.
Barnes-Josiah D, Myntti C, Augustin A. The "three delays" as a framework for examining maternal mortality in Haiti. Social Science & Medicine. 1998;46(8):981–93.CrossRef
21.
22.
23.
Barth KR, Cook RL, Downs JS, Switzer GE, Fischhoff B. Social stigma and negative consequences: factors that influence college students' decisions to seek testing for sexually transmitted infections. J Am Coll Health. 2002;50(4):153–9.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Oye-Adeniran BA, Adewole IF, Umoh AV, Fapohunda OR, Iwere N. Characteristics of abortion care seekers in South-Western Nigeria. Afr J Reprod Health. 2004;8(3):81–91. doi:10.​2307/​3583395.CrossRefPubMed
25.
26.
Lithur NO. Destigmatising abortion: expanding community awareness of abortion as a reproductive health issue in Ghana. African Journal of Reproductive Health/La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive. 2004;8(1):70–4. doi:10.​2307/​3583308.CrossRef
27.
Olukoya P. Reducing maternal mortality from unsafe abortion among adolescents in Africa. African Journal of Reproductive Health/La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive. 2004;8(1):57–62. doi:10.​2307/​3583306.CrossRef
28.
Jewkes RK, Fawcus S, Rees H, Lombard CJ, Katzenellenbogen J. Methodological issues in the South African incomplete abortion study. Studies in Family Planning. 1997;112(9):7.
29.
Jewkes RK GT, Westaway MS, Dickson K, Brown H, Rees H. Why are women still aborting outside designated facilities in metropolitan South Africa? BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2005;112(9):6.
Metadata
Title
Factors associated with delays in seeking post abortion care among women in Kenya
Authors
Michael M. Mutua
Beatrice W. Maina
Thomas O. Achia
Chimaraoke O. Izugbara
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2393
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-015-0660-7

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

Unconditional and conditional standards for fetal abdominal circumference and estimated fetal weight in an ethnic Chinese population: a birth cohort study

Research article

Changes in equity of maternal, newborn, and child health care practices in 115 districts of rural Ethiopia: implications for the health extension program

Study protocol

The Dutch Birth Centre Study: study design of a programmatic evaluation of the effect of birth centre care in the Netherlands

Research article

Cultural Competence among Maternal Healthcare Providers in Bahir Dar City Administration, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross sectional Study

Research article

Validating the British Columbia Perinatal Data Registry: a chart re-abstraction study

Research article

Impact of gestational weight gain on obstetric and neonatal outcomes in obese diabetic women