Gender-based violence: A correlates of adverse reproductive health outcomes among married women in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Adverse reproductive health outcome (unwanted pregnancy, abortion and/or still birth) are a major sexual and reproductive health problem worldwide. This study was done to assess the magnitude of adverse reproductive health outcomes and its correlates with gender-based violence. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2015 using the World Health Organizat ion multi-count ry and Ethiopian Demography Health Survey (EDHS) questionnaire to measure adverse reproductive health outcome and violence against women. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select households from community. Trained data collectors interviewed 832 married women who were selected by systematic sampling technique in Debre Tabor, Northwest Ethiopia. Epi info version 6.0 for data entry and SPSS version 20 for analysis were used. Data were principally analyzed using binary logistic regression. Results: Three hundred and eleven (37.4%) of women had experienced at least one type of adverse reproductive health outcomes in their life time, such as unwanted pregnancy (22.2%), abortion (16.8%) and still birt h (5.8%). Gender-based violence (AOR=1. 28; 95%CI:1. 08-1. 98), such as psychological violence (AOR=1.38:95% CI;1.052.29),

physical violence (AOR=2.48; 95%CI:1.603.85) and sexual violence (AOR=1.31:95% CI:1.011.99) were factors associated with an increased risk of

adverse r eproduct ive heal t h out comes. Psychological violence (AOR= 1.94; 95%CI; 1.073.50), physical violence (AOR=1.88; 95%CI; 1.133.12) and sexual violence (AOR=1.84; 95%CI; 1.172.28) were factors associated with an increased risk of

unwant ed pregnancy. Physi cal viol ence (AOR=1.19; 95%CI; 1.12-2.83) and sexual violence (AOR=1.80; 95%CI; 1.11-2.93) were factors associated with an increased risk of abortion.while physical violence (AOR= 2.10; 95%CI; 1.86-5.11) was factor associated with an increased risk of still birth.