Using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling to Monitor the Prevalence of Abortions and the Quality of Reproductive Health Care in Armenia

Abstract

Monitoring abortion prevalence is essential to plan control eforts. Lot Quality "ssurance Sampling (LQ"S) is an inexpensive, reliable method for monitoring abortion prevalence and access to quality reproductive health (RH) services. This chapter presents survey results from 2000 in three sites of "rmenia (Gyumri, Gavar and Goris) using LQ"S principles (i.e., 44%, 95% CI: ±6% of women had an induced abortion in their lifetime, a total abortion rate (T"R) of 2.0 abortions per woman). Modern contraceptive use was lowest in Goris (16%. 95% CI: ±7%) and highest in Gyumri (43%, 95% CI: ±11%). Only 37% (95% CI: ±9%) of women with an induced abortion received family planning information and 21% (95% CI: ±4%) of mothers were counselled about family planning after delivery. While limited access to family planning information and contraceptives is still an issue in "rmenia, recently new reproductive health priorities-such as infertility, sex-selective abortions and abortions due to socio-economic diiculties-have become more common and can be investigated using LQ"S in both community surveys and health facility assessments. This study demonstrates that measuring national abortion prevalence and access to services mask underlying variations the awareness of which is essential for health program planning.