Evaluation of a multi-pronged intervention to improve access to safe abortion care in two districts in Jharkhand

Table 4 Induced abortion incidence and decision-making in last three years at baseline and endline, by sex and overall (n = 2,543)

	Male			Female			Total
	Baseline	Endline		Baseline	Endline		Baseline	Endline
	(n = 620)	(n = 645)		(n = 633)	(n = 645)		(n = 1,253)	(n = 1,290)
	%	%	p-value	%	%	p-value	%	%	p-value
Reported induced abortion in last 3 years
n	24	59		29	87		53	126
%	3.9	9.1	<0.001	4.6	13.5	<0.001	4.2	11.3	<0.001
Primary decision maker ¹
Wife	12.5	30.5	0.087	55.2	42.5	0.236	35.8	37.7	0.813
Husband	83.3	69.5	0.195	37.9	55.2	0.108	58.5	61.0	0.753
Mother in law			---	3.4	1.1	0.410	1.9	0.7	0.452
Other relatives	4.2		---	3.4	1.1	0.410	3.8	0.7	0.114
Provider who performed the termination ¹
Doctor at intervention site	29.2	79.7	<0.001	27.6	57.5	0.005	28.3	66.4	<0.001
Doctor at private non-intervention site	41.7	6.8	<0.001	31.0	14.9	0.055	35.8	11.6	<0.001
Health worker²	4.2	3.4	0.874	6.9	8.0	0.841	5.7	6.2	0.894
Informal providers³	12.5	8.6	0.587	17.2	17.2	1.000	15.1	13.7	0.802
Self-induced⁴	12.5	1.7	0.038	27.6	3.4	<0.001	20.8	2.7	<0.001
Abortion method ⁵
Medical (MA)	22.2	51.7	0.028	12.5	45.2	0.004	16.7	47.9	<0.001
MVA⁶	16.7	43.7	0.042	20.8	52.4	0.006	19.0	48.6	0.001
D&C⁷	55.6	3.4	<0.001	41.7	1.2	<0.001	47.6	2.1	<0.001
Other - traditional method	0.0	1.7	0.575	25.0	2.4	<0.001	14.3	2.1	0.001
Can’t say	5.6						2.4
Received post abortion contraception ²				66.7	67.9	0.912
Post abortion complication ²				37.5	19.0	0.059

¹Percentage computed among the n = 146 who reported induced abortion in last 3 years. The sample sizes are as follows: male baseline = 24; male endline = 59; female baseline = 29; female endline = 87; total baseline = 53; total endline = 146.
²Health worker includes nurses, ANMs, AWWs, and ASHAs.
³Informal providers include those not approved by the government to offer abortion services, such as chemist shops, rural medical practitioners, and traditional healers.
⁴Self-induction is defined as women who tried home remedies, e.g., herbal concoctions, external massage, inserting objects into the vagina, and unknown tablets.
⁴Percentage computed among the n = 142 who reported induced abortion by provider rather than self-induced. The sample sizes are as follows: male baseline = 18; male endline = 58; female baseline = 24; female endline = 84; total baseline = 42; total endline = 142.
⁶MVA is defined as surgical methods done without general anesthesia, as described by women.
⁷D&C is defined as surgical methods done with general anesthesia, as described by women.

ISSN: 1472-6963