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| Title | Coerced sexual debut and lifetime abortion attempts among women in Rakai, Uganda |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2009 |
| Authors | Polis, CB, Lutalo, T, Wawer, M, Serwadda, D, Kigozi, G, Nalugoda, F, Kiwanuka, N, Gray, R |
| Journal | International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics |
| Volume | 104 |
| Pagination | 105-109 |
| Date Published | Feb |
| ISBN Number | 0020-7292; 0020-7292 |
| Accession Number | 19022442 |
| Keywords | Abortion, Induced/statistics & numerical data, Adolescent, Adult, Coercion, Female, Humans, Logistic Models, Longitudinal Studies, Middle Aged, Multivariate Analysis, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual Behavior/psychology/statistics & numerical data, Uganda, Young Adult |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To assess whether reported coercion at sexual debut is associated with a greater lifetime risk of attempting an abortion among women in Rakai, Uganda. METHODS: Analysis of data from sexually experienced, ever-pregnant women in a longitudinal, population-based, open cohort study in 56 rural communities in Rakai, Uganda (n=4784). For univariate analysis, the t test was used for continuous variables and the Pearson chi(2) or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for potential confounding. RESULTS: Twenty percent of women reported coercion at sexual debut. Compared with women who reported consensual sexual debut, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of subsequent abortion attempts among coerced women was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.11-2.20). CONCLUSION: There is a need to protect women from sexual coercion, implement policies for prevention of violence, and provide comprehensive reproductive health care, including prevention of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortions. |