A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi
Background: Abortions in India are increasing despite the laws to legalize them. Many abortions are conducted through unsafe practices and are underreported. To determine the prevalence of abortions in women of a reproductive age group in a rural area of Delhi and to determine associated factors. Me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Community Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_558_23 |
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| author | Priyanka Yadav Gajendra S. Meena Rajesh Kumar Nandini Sharma |
| author_facet | Priyanka Yadav Gajendra S. Meena Rajesh Kumar Nandini Sharma |
| author_sort | Priyanka Yadav |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Abortions in India are increasing despite the laws to legalize them. Many abortions are conducted through unsafe practices and are underreported. To determine the prevalence of abortions in women of a reproductive age group in a rural area of Delhi and to determine associated factors.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among married women in the reproductive age group residing in Barwala village, Delhi/NCR. An interview schedule was used to interview 315 women, and information was obtained for socio-demography, use of contraceptives, medical history, and history of abortions. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used for analyzing the association of abortions with other variables.
Results:
Of all 315 women, 47% had a history of one or more abortions. Of all pregnancies (n = 953), 25.6% ended in abortions (n = 244). Of the total number of abortions reported, 60.7% (n = 148) were induced, while 39.3% (n = 96) were spontaneous. Of induced abortions, only 35% were safe, while 65% were unsafe abortions. Age of mother, age at marriage, history of contraception use, and gender of first child were significantly associated with abortions. However, no significant association was found with socio-economic status, education, and occupation of women and their spouses. Only 1.3% women knew that abortions are legal in India.
Conclusion:
A high proportion of women are going for induced abortions, of which a greater proportion is that of unsafe abortions. There is also lack of knowledge about the legalisation of abortions in India. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-070fb0eb4a6f4ea1b0472d708d8fac9b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0970-0218 1998-3581 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Community Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-070fb0eb4a6f4ea1b0472d708d8fac9b2025-02-06T05:32:49ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Community Medicine0970-02181998-35812025-01-0150114715310.4103/ijcm.ijcm_558_23A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of DelhiPriyanka YadavGajendra S. MeenaRajesh KumarNandini SharmaBackground: Abortions in India are increasing despite the laws to legalize them. Many abortions are conducted through unsafe practices and are underreported. To determine the prevalence of abortions in women of a reproductive age group in a rural area of Delhi and to determine associated factors. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among married women in the reproductive age group residing in Barwala village, Delhi/NCR. An interview schedule was used to interview 315 women, and information was obtained for socio-demography, use of contraceptives, medical history, and history of abortions. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used for analyzing the association of abortions with other variables. Results: Of all 315 women, 47% had a history of one or more abortions. Of all pregnancies (n = 953), 25.6% ended in abortions (n = 244). Of the total number of abortions reported, 60.7% (n = 148) were induced, while 39.3% (n = 96) were spontaneous. Of induced abortions, only 35% were safe, while 65% were unsafe abortions. Age of mother, age at marriage, history of contraception use, and gender of first child were significantly associated with abortions. However, no significant association was found with socio-economic status, education, and occupation of women and their spouses. Only 1.3% women knew that abortions are legal in India. Conclusion: A high proportion of women are going for induced abortions, of which a greater proportion is that of unsafe abortions. There is also lack of knowledge about the legalisation of abortions in India.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_558_23abortioncontraceptive usesafe abortionsunsafe abortions |
| spellingShingle | Priyanka Yadav Gajendra S. Meena Rajesh Kumar Nandini Sharma A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi Indian Journal of Community Medicine abortion contraceptive use safe abortions unsafe abortions |
| title | A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi |
| title_full | A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi |
| title_fullStr | A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi |
| title_short | A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Abortions in a Rural Area of Delhi |
| title_sort | cross sectional epidemiological study of abortions in a rural area of delhi |
| topic | abortion contraceptive use safe abortions unsafe abortions |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_558_23 |
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