Determinants of unintended pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Background Unintended pregnancy predisposes women of child-bearing age to risk factors like maternal deaths, poor child outcomes, mental illness because of stress, risky abortion, and vertical transmission of HIV. According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey in 2014, 34% of the pregnancies were unintended and in the year 2020 it rose to 41.9% (Monitoring, 2020). Determinants of unintended pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinics in Kenya is diverse and is poorly understood due to no representative information. The objective of the study was to determine the factors associated with unintended pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic particularly their individual factors, family planning practices and health facility-based factors. Method A cross-sectional study design. Data was collected using a structured administered questionnaire from 227 participants. The proportion and determinants of unintended pregnancy was derived using bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions. Results In this study, a third (29.9%) of the pregnant women reported that their existing gravidity was unintended. Individual factors such as age less than 25 years [AOR 8.1 (95% CI 1.4-48.6)), p=0.001], use of contraceptive method [AOR 7.9 (95% CI 2.5-25.0), p<0.001] and the woman being the sole decision-maker on when to get pregnant [AOR 3.8 (95% CI 1.3-11.2), p=0.014] were significantly associated with unintended pregnancy. Conclusion The study area had quite a significant proportion of unintended pregnancy underscoring the need for health facilities to enhance targeted contraceptive counselling during antenatal and postnatal clinics. Reinforcing effective utilization of family planning services in the pursuit to decrease unintended pregnancy not only in Nairobi but also in Kenya.