The prevalence and factors associated with abortion among pregnant mothers attending ultrasound department at Lira Regional Referral Hospital: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background; Abortion is one of the prevalent negative reproductive outcomes among women around the world, which is a great challenge that affects maternal health promotion. In the recent years no documentary evidence has been indicative of an increase in the prevalence of induced abortion in developing countries. Study objective; This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of abortion and associated factors among women attending ultrasound at Lira regional referral hospital. Methodology; This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 150 women. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit study participants and data was obtained using questionnaires. Findings; The prevalence of abortion was 27% which is high in comparison to the global and regional WHO estimates. Maternal infections, age, socioeconomic status, education level, uterine abnormalities and use of pharmacological and chemical agents were the established individual factors contributing to this prevalence. Additionally, lack of sexuality counseling/health education and lack of access to contraceptives, were seen as health service-related contributing factors. Conclusion; The high abortion rate among mothers highlights the need to improve sexuality health education and family planning in Uganda.