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Prevalence of induced abortions and contraceptive use among married women in an urban slum of Delhi, India
Author(s) -
Bhilwar Meenakshi,
Lal Panna,
Sharma Nandini,
Bhalla Preena,
Kumar Ashok
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12011
Subject(s) - medicine , abortion , slum , family planning , family medicine , systematic sampling , population , demography , gynecology , obstetrics , environmental health , pregnancy , research methodology , genetics , pathology , sociology , biology
Objective To document abortion practices and contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in an urban slum of Delhi. Methods Data were collected as part of a cross‐sectional study conducted in an urban resettlement colony in the North East District of Delhi between November 2010 and December 2011. Systematic random sampling was used to enroll 200 married women aged 15–49 years from each of the four blocks of the colony. Participants were interviewed and data were entered into a pretested semi‐structured questionnaire. Results Among 802 participants, 284 (35.4%) reported at least one spontaneous or induced abortion, and 196 (24.4%) reported induced abortions. Unsupervised medical termination was reported by 78 (27.5%) of the 284 women. Overall, only 207 (25.8%) women practiced any type of contraception. The predominant decision maker regarding contraception was the husband for 95 (45.9%) women and the mother‐in‐law for 78 (37.7%). Conclusion There is a need for focused community‐based education to address specific issues, particularly regarding the dangers of unsafe abortion and choosing a method of contraception in consultation with a healthcare practitioner.