Perceived Determinants and Preferred Method of Induced Abortion among Undergraduate Female Students in Lagos State Tertiary Institutions, Nigeria

Abstract

Abortion is a serious concern and topic of discussion that poses threat to a woman's health but at the same time when performed by medical specialist (i.e. abortion specialist) might be safe for the woman, especially if it is medically recommended. Abortion is the cessation of pregnancy by ejecting an embryo or foetus from the uterus before it reaches the stage of existence. An abortion otherwise known as miscarriage could be unexpected. However, it may be instigated or brought on purposely in which it is regularly called an induced abortion. This study therefore examined the perceived determinants and preferred method of induced abortion among female undergraduate students in Lagos State tertiary institutions. The population for the study comprised all female undergraduate students in the tertiary institutions located in Lagos State. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting a total of two thousand, two hundred and thirty-six (2236) participants aged 18-35 (years) for the study. The self-constructed questionnaire (r=0.78) was used for data collection while the descriptive statistics of mean, percentages and charts were used for data presentation. The study concludes that majority (83.8%) of the participants have had sexual experience before while 71.2% of this group had unwanted pregnancies. Some of the reasons responsible for abortion among this group include; education (30%), shame (20%), pressure from partner (17%) while others are pressure from family members/parents, health reason, rape and lack of finance to support the baby. The preferred methods of abortion as indicated by the participants were: D&C (62.5%), use of pills and injection (23.8%), use of local herbs and concoctions (11%) and participation in vigorous physical activities (25). Recommendations were made based on the findings of this study which include providing health education for ladies and women on a regular basis.