| Abstract |
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Introduction: students are becoming aware of the availability and seeking of safe abortion services in their communities. However, unsafe abortion still remains globally major health problem especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. It is becoming one of the leading direct obstetric causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. In many low income countries lack of knowledge about the consequences of unsafe abortion and having negative attitude towards abortion service resulted in unsafe abortion practices. This study is important to identify area for improvement and encourage better communication with student clients who need safe abortion services.
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess knowledge, attitude and factors associated with safe abortion among first year students in Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia.
Methods: Institution based-cross-sectional study design involving both quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. The sample size was 772 and the sampling technique used was multistage cluster sampling technique. To proportionally allocate the sample size to each department, population proportion to size allocation was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Bivariate analysis was made to see the relations of independent variables with knowledge and attitude towards safe abortion. At bivariate logistic regression analysis, independent variables with cut off P-value<0.25 was included. In the multivariable binary logistic regression, P- value< 0.05 was used to declare the significance of the variables. Thematic analysis was used for the Qualitative method. Finally both qualitative and quantitative data was triangulated. The analyzed data was presented using figures, tables, graphs and texts.
Result: Out of 752 students who heard about safe abortion, more than half 300 (55.9%) have inadequate knowledge. Sex, (AOR= 1.7, 95% CI: 1.160-2.725), department (AOR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.169-0.809), family education level (AOR= 0.6, 95% 0.354-0.886) and income (AOR= 0.4, 95% 0.205-0.848) were factors has an association with knowledge of students towards safe abortion. Concerning attitude, out of 536, nearly half 283 (52.8%) of the students have positive attitude towards safe abortion. Residence before joining university (AOR=0.689, 95%CI: 0.486 -0.977) has found to have an association with attitude towards safe abortion.
Conclusion: The knowledge of the students has found to be inadequate towards safe abortion. Sex, department, family education, and income sent from family are likely to have association towards knowledge on safe abortion. Nearly half of the students have positive attitudes towards safe abortion. Only residence before joining university has significant association with attitude towards safe abortion. Forums and panel discussions on safe abortion among students, professionals, and relevant organizations, need to be undertaken at various levels to facilitate decision making on safe abortion practices. |
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