Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: October | Volume: 7 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 176-185
Knowledge, Attitude and Associated Factors towards Safe Abortion among Female Students of Kebribayah Town of Somali Region, Ethiopia
Gargi Dhar1, 2
1School of Graduate Studies, Department of Public Health, Jigjiga University, Ethiopia
2 Academic Counsellor, IGNOU, India
ABSTRACT
Background: In Ethiopia, unwanted pregnancy is a big problem. Female at the age of adolescence are vulnerable towards unplanned pregnancies and those mostly end up with unsafe abortion. Likewise, Somali region is known for low potential health service coverage, accessibility and utilization due to culture and pastoralist life style. Therefore, this study is intended on assessing the knowledge, attitude and associated factors towards safe abortion of the female students of adolescent age in kebribayah town of Somali region, Ethiopia.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on 246 female students(9th-12th Grade)at secondary and preparatory school of kebribayah, Somali region, selected through systematic random sampling. The pre-tested questionnaires were used for data collection. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to justify association of dependent and independent variables using SPSS version 20.
Results: Only 51.95% participants had good knowledge and 40.7% had positive attitude towards safe abortion. Participant’s residential status and educational level, father’s educational status had significant association with knowledge and attitude both. Whereas family monthly income had association only with knowledge towards safe abortion and source of information related to safe abortion was the predictor for attitude development only.
Conclusion and Recommendation: Knowledge and attitude towards safe abortion was inadequate and unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need of information dissemination on reproductive health issues and available health services to the students (irrespective of sex) and community people. Improvement of socioeconomic status of the community and available health services might have a great impact with the knowledge and attitude of unsafe abortion.
Key words: Safe Abortion, knowledge, attitude, Female students, Somali Region,