Determinants of intention to abort among married women in a metropolitan city in South-west, Nigeria

Abstract

This cross-sectional study assessed prior, future, and overall intention to abort among 739 married women aged 15-49 years in Ibadan, South-west, Nigeria. Data were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and analyzed using logistic regression model (α0.05). The women's mean age was 35.8±7.4 years. Overall, 15.8% women had prior intention, 16.9% had future intention, while 26.7% had overall intention to abort. Determinants of prior intention to abort included desire for more children, media access, wealth status, and woman's autonomy. The odds of prior intention to abort was highest among unemployed women (aOR=1.699, p=0.472), and those with low autonomy (aOR=1.675, p=0.019). Odds of future intention to abort was lower among women with good media access (aOR=0.603, p=0.032), but higher among those whose husbands had completed secondary education (aOR=1.995, p=0.034). Future intention to abort can be minimised if organisations implementing sexual and reproductive health programmes provide media literacy tools for women and promote men's education to increase their earnings. (Afr J Reprod Health 2024; 28 [3s]: 80-92).