Prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among married women in 19 sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains the region with the highest burden of anemia globally. Since anemia has both health and non-health-related consequences, its reduction is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among married women in SSA. Methods Using Stata version-14 software, the analysis was done on 89,029 married women from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 19 countries in SSA. Pearson Chi-Square test and Binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the factors associated with anemia. The results were presented using adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) at a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A p-value less than or equal to 0.05 (p ≤ 0.05) was considered statistically significant. Results The pooled analysis showed that 49.7% of married women were anemic. Of these, 1.04% and 15.05% were severely and moderately anemic respectively, and the rest 33.61% were mildly anemic. Husband education (primary school-aOR = 0.84, 95% CI; 0.71–0.99), wealth index (middle-aOR = 0.81, 95% CI; 0.68–0.96, richer-aOR = 0.69, 95% CI; 0.57–0.84, richest-aOR = 0.68, 95% CI; 0.51–0.91), modern contraceptive use (yes-aOR = 0.68, 95% CI; 0.56–0.81) and religion (Muslim-aOR = 1.27, 95% CI; 1.11–1.46, others-aOR = 0.73, 95% CI; 0.59–0.90) were factors associated with anemia among married women. Conclusion The findings show that nearly half of the married women are affected by anemia. Enhancing partners’ educational levels, and economic empowerment of women, strengthening family planning services, and working with religious leaders to reduce the perception and religious beliefs related to food restrictions can be the main focus to reduce the burden of anemia among married women in SSA.

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Diarrhea and associated factors among under five children in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from demographic and health surveys of 34 sub-Saharan countries

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257522 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257522

Author(s):

Getu Debalkie Demissie ◽

Yigizie Yeshaw ◽

Wallelign Aleminew ◽

Yonas Akalu

Keyword(s):

Associated Factors ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Water Source ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

African Countries ◽

Under Five ◽

Under Five Children ◽

Sub Saharan

Introduction Diarrhea is responsible for the death of more than 90% of under-five children in low and lower-middle income countries. Regionally, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 88% of deaths with the same age group. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of diarrhea among children under-five years in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods The appended, most recent demographic and health survey datasets of 34 sub-Saharan African countries were used to determine the prevalence and associated factors of diarrhea among under-five children in the region. A total weighted sample of 330,866 under-five children were included in the study. Both bivariable and multivariable multilevel logistic regression were done to determine the associated factors of diarrhea among under five children in sub-Saharan Africa. The Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was calculated for those potential factors included in the final model. Result The overall prevalence of diarrhea in this study was 15.3% (95% CI: 15.1–15.4). Those children of mothers aged 15–24 (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.23, 1.30) and 25–34 years (AOR = 1.15; 95%CI: 1.12, 1.18), those children of mothers with no education (AOR = 1.69; 95%CI: 1.57–1.82), primary education (AOR = 1.73; 95%CI: 1.61–1.86) and secondary education (AOR = 1.49; 95%CI: 1.38–1.59) had higher odds of having diarrhea. Those children from poorest (AOR = 1.14; 95%CI: 1.10, 1.19), poorer (AOR = 1.12; 95%CI: 1.08–1.17), middle (AOR = 1.06; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.10), and richer (AOR = 1.14; 95%CI: 1.04–1.12) households had higher chance of having diarrhea compared to their counterparts. Conclusion This study found that the prevalence of childhood diarrhea morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa was high. Maternal age, wealth index, maternal education, maternal occupation, age of child, time of initiation of breast feeding and time to get water source were significantly associated with diarrhea. Therefore, intervention through health education and health promotion for mothers/caretakers who are poor, less educated, and young should be designed to prevent diarrhea in the region.

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Utilization of deworming medication and its associated factors among pregnant married women in 26 sub-Saharan African countries: a multi-country analysis

Tropical Medicine and Health ◽

10.1186/s41182-021-00343-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Betregiorgis Zegeye ◽

Mpho Keetile ◽

Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽

Edward Kwabena Ameyaw ◽

Abdul-Aziz Seidu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Married Women ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

African Countries ◽

Related Factors ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Software Analysis ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background Deworming is one of the strategies to reduce the burden of anemia among pregnant women. Globally, pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are more affected by anemia. Therefore, this study examined both the coverage and demographic, socioeconomic, and women empowerment-related factors associated with the utilization of deworming medication among pregnant married women in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We used data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2010 and 2019. Using Stata version-14 software, analysis was done on 168,910 pregnant married women. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with the utilization of deworming medication. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratios (aORs) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The pooled results showed that about 50.7% (95% CI 48.2–53.3%) of pregnant married women in the studied countries took deworming medications, and this varied from as high as 84.1% in Sierra Leone to as low as 2% in Angola. Regarding sub-regional coverage, the highest and lowest coverages were seen in East Africa (67.6%, 95% CI 66.0–69.1%) and West Africa (24.3%, 95% CI 22.4–26.4%) respectively. We found higher odds of utilization of deworming medication among older pregnant married women (aOR=1.93, 95% CI 1.32–2.84), women with educated husbands (aOR=1.40, 95% CI 1.11–1.77), wealthier women (aOR=3.12, 95% CI 1.95–4.99), women exposed to media (aOR=1.46, 95% CI 1.18–1.80), and those who had four or more antenatal care visits (aOR=1.51, 95% CI 1.24–1.83). Conclusions Enhancing women’s education, disseminating information about maternal healthcare services through mass media, and ensuring that women from economically disadvantaged households benefit from national economic growth can be considered as deworming medication improvement strategies in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, providing more attention to adolescents or young pregnant women and increasing the number of antenatal care visits could be considered to increase deworming uptake among pregnant married women.

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USING COUPLES’ DISCORDANT REPORTS TO ESTIMATE FEMALE COVERT USE OF MODERN CONTRACEPTION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932017000256 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 326-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Natalie C. Gasca ◽

Stan Becker

Keyword(s):

Contraceptive Use ◽

Modern Method ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

African Countries ◽

Couple Communication ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Contraceptive Prevalence ◽

Sub Saharan

SummarySubstantial numbers of married women use contraceptives without their partner’s knowledge in sub-Saharan Africa, but studies of female covert use across time are rare. This study investigates the levels, trends and correlates of covert use in nine countries and determines which contraceptive methods are more frequently used covertly by women. Data from monogamous couples in Demographic and Health Surveys were used from nine sub-Saharan African countries that had experienced an increase of 10 percentage points in current modern contraceptive use between an earlier (1991–2004) and later (2007–2011) survey. Covert use was indirectly estimated as the percentage of women who reported a female modern method whose husband did not report a modern method. The percentage of women using covertly increased in eight of the countries studied (significantly in three of them), yet when comparing across countries cross-sectionally, covert use was lower where contraceptive prevalence was higher. In general, women with more years of schooling and those with larger spousal schooling gaps had lower odds of covert use. There was no significant difference between covert and open injectable use, though more than half of both groups used this method in the later surveys. Encouraging couple communication about contraception, where the woman feels it is safe to do so, could be an important strategy to minimize covert use. Further research is needed to better identify the contraceptive prevalence and social context in which covert use declines within a country.

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Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Utilization Among Married Women in Sub-saharan Africa: Multilevel Analysis Using Recent Demographic and Health Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-699121/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zemenu Tadesse Tesema ◽

Getayeneh Antehunegn Tesema ◽

Moges Muluneh Boke ◽

Temesgen Yihunie Akalu

Keyword(s):

Health Survey ◽

Married Women ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

African Countries ◽

Wealth Status ◽

Modern Contraception ◽

Pooled Prevalence ◽

Contraceptive Utilization ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background: Family planning is a low-cost, high-impact public health and development strategy to improve child and maternal health. However, there is a lack of evidence on modern contraceptive use and determinants in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, this study was aimed at determining the pooled prevalence and determinants of modern contraceptive utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Thirty-six sub-Saharan African countries' demographic and health survey (DHS) data were used for pooled analysis. A total weighted sample of 322,525 married women were included. Cross tabulations and summary statistics were done using STATA version 14 software. The pooled prevalence of modern contraceptive utilization with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported. Four models were fitted to select the best-fitted model using Likelihood Ratio (LLR) and Deviance test. Finally, the model with the highest LLR and the smallest deviance was selected as a best fitted model. Results: The pooled estimate of modern contraception use in sub–Saharan African countries was 18.36% [95% CI: 18.24, 18.48], with highest in Lesotho (59.79%) and the lowest in Chad (5.04%). The odds of modern contraception utilization among women living in East Africa was (AOR=1.47 (1.40, 1.54)), urban (AOR=1.18 (1.14, 1.24)), women primary and secondary and above educational level (AOR=1.49 (1.44, 1.55)), and (AOR=1.66 (1.58, 1.74)), respectively. Moreover, husband primary (AOR=1.38 (1.33, 1.42)), middle (AOR=1.17, (1.14, 1.21)), rich wealth status (AOR=1.29 (1.25, 1.34)), media exposure (AOR=1.25 (1.22, 1.29)), and postnatal care (PNC) utilization (AOR=1.25 (1.22, 1.29)) had higher odds of modern contraceptive utilization compared with their counter parts. Furthermore, deliver at health facility (AOR=1.74 (1.69, 1.79)) and birth order 2-4 (AOR=1.36 (1.31, 1.41)) had higher odds of modern contraceptive utilization. On the otherhand, women living in Central (AOR=0.23 (0.22, 0.24)), Western regions (AOR=0.46 (0.40, 0.54)), women decided with husband (AOR=0.90 (0.87, 0.93)), and husband alone (AOR=0.73 (0.71, 0.75)) were decreased the odds of modern contraceptive utilization. Conclusion: The uptake of modern contraception in sub-Saharan Africa is low. Modern contraceptive utilization is affected by different factors. More attention need to be given to rural residents, illiterate women, and communities with low wealth status.

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Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Utilization Among Married Women in sub-Saharan Africa; Multilevel Analysis of Recent Demographic and Health Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-628571/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zemenu Tadesse Tesema ◽

Getayeneh Antehunegn Tesema ◽

Moges Muluneh Boke ◽

Temesgen Yihunie Akalu

Keyword(s):

Married Women ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

African Countries ◽

Wealth Status ◽

Modern Contraception ◽

Pooled Prevalence ◽

Contraception Use ◽

Contraceptive Utilization ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background Family planning is a low-cost, high-impact public health and development strategy. Planned pregnancies are essential for both the child and mother’s health. However, there is a lack of evidence on modern contraceptive use and determinants in sub-Saharan Africa, hence this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence and determinants of modern contraceptive utilization across Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods Thirty-six sub-Saharan African countries' demographic and health survey (DHS) data were used for pooled analysis. A total weighted sample of 322,525 married women was included in the study. Cross tabulations and summary statistics were done using STATA version 14 software. The pooled prevalence of modern contraceptive utilization with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported for sub- Saharan Africa countries. Four models were fitted to select the best-fitted model for the data using Likelihood Ratio (LLR) and Deviance. Model III was selected because of its highest LLR and Smallest deviance. Results The pooled estimate of modern contraception use in sub–Saharan African countries were 18.36% [95% CI: 18.24, 18.48], with highest in Lesotho (59.79%) and the lowest in Chad (5.04%). The odds of modern contraception utilization were increased; women living in East Africa (AOR = 1.47 (1.40, 1.54)), urban (AOR = 1.18 (1.14, 1.24)), women primary and secondary and above educational level (AOR = 1.49 (1.44, 1.55)), and (AOR = 1.66 (1.58, 1.74)) respectively, husband primary and secondary and above educational level (AOR = 1.38 (1.33, 1.42)) and (AOR = 1.38 (1.36, 1.47)), wealth status middle and rich (AOR = 1.17, (1.14, 1.21)) and (AOR = 1.29 (1.25, 1.34)) respectively, media exposure (AOR = 1.25 (1.22, 1.29)), Postnatal care(PNC) utilization (AOR = 1.25 (1.22, 1.29)), deliver at health facility (AOR = 1.74 (1.69, 1.79)), and birth order 2–4 and 5+ (AOR = 1.36 (1.31, 1.41)) and (AOR = 1.35 (1.28, 1.43)) whereas the odds of contraception use were decreased among women living in Central, and Western regions (AOR = 0.23 (0.22, 0.24)), and (AOR = 0.46 (0.40, 0.54)) respectively, women decided with husband and husband alone (AOR = 0.90 (0.87, 0.93)) and (AOR = 0.73 (0.71, 0.75)). Conclusion The uptake of modern contraception in sub-Saharan Africa is low compared to other developing region. Therefore, family planning program activities need to give attention to the rural resident, illiterate women and low wealth status community.

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Factors associated with decision making power of women to use family planning among married women in sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel analysis of demographic health surveys

10.21203/rs.3.rs-156535/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Getu Debalkie Demissie ◽

Yonas Akalu ◽

Abebaw Addis Gelagay ◽

Wallelign Alemnew ◽

Yigizie Yeshaw

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Family Planning ◽

Media Exposure ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Married Women ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Fertility Preference ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Contraceptive Usage ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background: In sub-Saharan Africa there are several socio-economic and cultural factors which affect women’s ability to make decision regarding their own health including contraceptive usage. The main aim of this study was to determine factors associated with decision making power of women to use family planning in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: The appended, most recent demographic and health survey datasets of 35 sub-Saharan countries were used. A total weighted sample of 83,882 women were included in the study. Both bivariable and multivariable multilevel logistic regression were done to determine the associated factors of decision making power of women to use family planning in SSA. The Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was calculated for those potential variables included in the final model. Results: Those married women with primary education (AOR=1.24; CI:1.16,1.32),secondary education (AOR=1.31; CI:1.22,1.41), higher education (AOR=1.36; CI:1.20,1.53),media exposure(AOR=1.08; CI: 1.03, 1.13), currently working (AOR=1.27; CI: 1.20, 1.33), antenatal care visit of 1-3 (AOR=1.12; CI:1.05,1.20) and ≥ 4 ANC visit (AOR=1.14;CI:1.07,1.21), women who were informed about family planning (AOR=1.09; CI: 1.04, 1.15), women who had less than 3 children(AOR=1.12; CI: 1.02, 1.23) and 3-5 children (AOR=1.08; CI: 1.01, 1.16) had higher odds of decision making power to use family planning than their counter parts. Besides, mothers with age of 15-19 (AOR=0.61; CI: 0.52, 0.72), 20-24 (AOR= 0.69; CI: 0.60, 0.79), 25-29 (AOR=0.74; CI: 0.66, 0.84), and 30-34 years (AOR=0.82; CI: 0.73, 0.92) had reduced chance of decision making power of women to use family planning. Conclusion: Age, women’s level of education, occupation of women and their husband, wealth index, media exposure, ANC visit, fertility preference, husband’s desire number of children, region and information about family planning were factors associated with decision making power to use family planning among married women.

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Prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0246308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0246308

Author(s):

Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽

Melissa Kang ◽

Lin Perry ◽

Fiona Brooks ◽

Andrew Hayen

Keyword(s):

Adolescent Pregnancy ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Well Being ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Relationship Education ◽

African Countries ◽

Sub Saharan

Introduction In low-and middle-income countries, pregnancy-related complications are major causes of death for young women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We undertook a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 32 sub-Saharan African countries between 2010 and 2018. We calculated the prevalence of first adolescent (aged 15 to 19 years) pregnancy in each country and examined associations between individual and contextual level factors and first adolescent pregnancy. Results Among all adolescents, Congo experienced the highest prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy (44.3%) and Rwanda the lowest (7.2%). However, among adolescents who had ever had sex, the prevalence ranged from 36.5% in Rwanda to 75.6% in Chad. The odds of first adolescent pregnancy was higher with increasing age, working, being married/cohabiting, having primary education only, early sexual initiation, knowledge of contraceptives, no unmet need for contraception and poorest wealth quintile. By contrast, adolescents who lived in rural areas and in the West African sub-region had lower odds of first adolescent pregnancy. Conclusion The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan African countries is high. Understanding the predictors of first adolescent pregnancy can facilitate the development of effective social policies such as family planning and comprehensive sex and relationship education in sub-Saharan Africa and can help ensure healthy lives and promotion of well-being for adolescents and their families and communities.

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Individual- and country-level correlates of female permanent contraception use in sub-Saharan Africa

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0243316 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0243316

Author(s):

Babayemi O. Olakunde ◽

Jennifer R. Pharr ◽

Lung-Chang Chien ◽

Rebecca D. Benfield ◽

Francisco S. Sy

Keyword(s):

Household Wealth ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

Contraceptive Methods ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Country Level ◽

Permanent Contraception ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Living Children

Background Female permanent contraception is a cost-effective contraceptive method that can help clients with the desire to limit childbearing achieve their reproductive intention. However, despite its benefits, the use of FPC remains low in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and limited studies have examined the correlates of its uptake. In this study, we assessed the individual- and country-level factors associated with the use of FPC among married or in-union women using modern contraceptive methods to limit childbearing in SSA. Methods This study was a secondary data analysis of individual- and country-level data obtained from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program and three open data repositories. The study included 29,777 married or in-union women aged 15–49 years using modern contraceptive methods to limit childbearing from DHS conducted in 33 sub-Sahara African countries between 2010 and 2018. We performed descriptive statistics and fitted multilevel logistic regression models to determine the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with the use of FPC. Results Approximately 13% of the women used FPC. About 20% of the variance in the odds of using FPC was attributable to between-country differences. In the full model, the significant individual-level factors associated with the use of FPC compared with other modern contraceptive methods were: age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10; 95%CI = 1.08–1.12), living children (OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.04–1.16), high household wealth (OR = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.18–1.64), rural residence (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71–0.97), joint contraceptive decision with partner (OR = 1.68, 95% = 1.43–1.99), contraceptive decision by partner and others (OR = 2.46, 95% = 1.97–3.07), and the number of living children less than the ideal number of children (OR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.21–1.62). The significantly associated country-level factors were births attended by skilled health providers (OR = 1.03, 95%CI = 1.00–1.05) and density of medical doctors (OR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.01–1.85). Conclusions Our results suggest that both individual- and country-level factors affect uptake of FPC in SSA. Increasing geographic, economic, and psychosocial access to FPC may improve its uptake in SSA.

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Risk factors associated with the coexistence of stunting, underweight, and wasting in children under 5 from 31 sub-Saharan African countries

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052267 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. e052267

Author(s):

Iddrisu Amadu ◽

Abdul-Aziz Seidu ◽

Eric Duku ◽

James Boadu Frimpong ◽

John Elvis Hagan Jnr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

National Level ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

African Countries ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Z Scores ◽

Sub Saharan

ObjectiveThis study investigated the risk factors associated with the coexistence of stunting, underweight, and wasting among children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).DesignData of 127, 487 under-5 children from 31 countries in SSA were pooled from the Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2010 and 2019. We examined the risk of coexistence of stunting, underweight, and wasting using multinomial logistic regression models. The results were presented using relative risk ratios (RRR) with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs).SettingThirty-one sub-Saharan African countries.ParticipantsChildren under age 5.Outcome measuresThe outcome variables were three child anthropometrics: stunting (height-for-age z-scores); underweight (weight-for-age z-scores) and wasting (weight-for-height z-scores).ResultsThe prevalence of coexistence of stunting, underweight, and wasting varied across countries, with the highest (12.14%) and lowest (0.58%) prevalences of coexistence of stunting, underweight and wasting in Benin and Gambia respectively. The risk of coexistence of the three indicators of undernutrition was higher among children aged 1 year (RRR=3.714; 95% CI 3.319 to 4.156) compared with those aged 0. The risk of coexistence of the three dimensions was lower among female children (RRR=0.468 95% CI 0.420 to 0.51), but higher for those with small size at birth (RRR=3.818; CI 3.383 to 4.308), those whose mothers had no education (RRR=3.291; 95% CI 1.961 to 5.522), not working (RRR=1.195; 95% CI 1.086 to 1.314), had no antenatal visits during pregnancy (RRR=1.364; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.541), children delivered at home (RRR=1.372; CI 1.232 to 1.529), those from poor households (RRR=1.408; 95% CI 1.235 to 1.605), those whose mothers had no access to media (RRR=1.255; 95% CI 1.144 to 1.377) and living in households with an unimproved toilet facility (RRR=1.158; 95% CI 1.032 to 1.300).ConclusionsFindings suggest the urgent need for consideration of the coexistence of stunting, wasting and underweight among under-5 children in policy design and programming of interventions to eradicate child malnutrition in SSA. In the short-term, national-level policies and interventions need to be well tailored considering the compositional characteristics.

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Suicidal ideation and associated factors among school-going adolescents in rural Ghana

Current Psychology ◽

10.1007/s12144-021-01378-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie ◽

Samuel Kofi Odame

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Attempted Suicide ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Rural Adolescents ◽

African Countries ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Rural Ghana ◽

Sub Saharan

AbstractSuicidal ideation is a critical risk for attempted suicide and eventual suicide. Little is known about suicidal ideation among rural adolescents in most sub-Saharan African countries. We aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation and to describe some of the common and gender-specific associated factors among in-school adolescents in rural Ghana. We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving a random sample of 1101 in-school adolescents aged 10–19 years in a rural district in Eastern Ghana. The Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire-Revised was used to assess suicidal ideation. Overall, 25.1% participants (95% CI = 22.5–27.7), representing 28.3% females (95% CI = 24.7–32.2) and 21.5% males (95% CI = 18.0–25.2) reported suicidal ideation during the previous 12 months. Females who experienced personal and interpersonal adversities mainly outside the family context were likely to report suicidal ideation, while suicidal ideation among males was associated with conflict with parents. Regardless of gender, adolescents who reported exposure to a friend’s attempted suicide were about two times more likely to report suicidal ideation. The prevalence of suicidal ideation among adolescents in rural Ghana compares with in-school estimates from other countries within sub-Saharan Africa, but also underscores the need for targeted and universal prevention programmes and intervention efforts to mitigate the potential transition from suicidal ideations to suicidal attempts and eventual deaths by suicide among rural adolescents.

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