Bayesian spatial analysis of socio-demographic factors influencing pregnancy termination and its residual geographic variation among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Unsafe pregnancy termination is a major public health concern among reproductive-aged women in many developing countries. This study evaluated the socio-demographic characteristics, as well as residual spatial correlation in pregnancy termination among Bangladeshi women. Methods: Secondary data was obtained from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey for the survey year 2014. Data included 17,863 samples of ever-married women between the ages of 15-49 years, which is a national representative sample in Bangladesh. Bayesian spatial logistic regression was used to assess the associations between socio-demographic characteristics and pregnancy termination. We flexibly modeled the non-linear effects of the continuous covariates while accounting for residual spatial correlation at the district level. Results: Our findings revealed that about 19% of the respondents in Bangladesh reported ever had a pregnancy terminated. The risk of pregnancy termination was higher among women who had been working, had a higher wealth index, were in a conjugal relationship, had no children, were older and started their cohabitation earlier. Residual spatial patterns revealed the areas at a higher risk of pregnancy termination, including Panchagarh, Habiganj, and Sylhet after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: Prevalence of pregnancy termination remains considerably high in Bangladesh. The study revealed significant associations of women's age at survey time, age at first cohabitation, occupational status, socioeconomic status, marital status and the total number of children ever born with reporting having a history of terminated pregnancy among Bangladeshi ever-married women. The identified socio-demographic characteristics and districts at an increased likelihood of pregnancy termination can inform localized intervention and prevention strategies to improve the reproductive healthcare of women in Bangladesh.

Predictors of Pregnancy Termination among Young Women in Ghana: Empirical Evidence from the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey Data

“…Political, economic, religious, and social reasons have made pregnancy termination a delicate and divisive reproductive health issue [1]. Induced abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth are all examples of pregnancy termination [2]. These words have been used interchangeably to describe various forms of pregnancy termination [3][4][5][6][7].…”

Pattern and risk factors of menstrual regulation service use among ever-married women in Bangladesh: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey

“…Lower aged women are more likely to be influenced by social stigma which might be linked with such lower use of MR. Moreover, increased aged women were less likely to use contraception or depend on less effective or traditional contraception’s (Blake et al, 2007; Zahan & Feng, 2020). Also, they have already had desired number of children, so that any pregnancy is treated as unintended.…”

Understanding and predicting pregnancy termination in Bangladesh: A comprehensive analysis using a hybrid machine learning approach

“…[1,2] The termination of pregnancy encompasses one of the many complexities associated with reproductive health, where adverse pregnancy outcomes may result in stillbirths, miscarriages, or induced abortions among women of reproductive age. [3,4] Many women in this age group may resort to various abortion methods when faced with the possibility of an unexpected pregnancy. [5,6] Data collected from 2010 to 2014 shed light on the significant prevalence of unwanted or unplanned pregnancies worldwide, accounting for nearly 44% of all pregnancies.…”

“…[6] Shockingly, by the age of 18, approximately one-third of married young females in Bangladesh have already become mothers or are currently pregnant. [4] Among the various reasons for induced pregnancy termination, unintended pregnancy is one of the primary factors. People often perform induced abortion, defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy to reduce fertility while preserving fecundity, [19] for multiple reasons.…”