Induced Abortions Among Adolescent Women in Rural Maharashtra, India

Figures & data

Table 1 Married women identified as having had one or more induced abortions in the reference period (n=1717)

	Married women ⩽20 (n=226)	Married women >20 (n=1491)
Reported an abortion and agreed to interview	197	1212
Reported a spontaneous abortion	11	91
Did not report an abortion	2	8
Could not be interviewed	16	180

Table 2 Profile of married adolescent and adult women with induced abortion in the reference period

	Married adolescents ⩽20 years (n=197)	Married adults 20 years (n=1212)	Significance
Education (mean no. of years)	6.9 yr	6.12 yr	0.28
Mother-in-law living in same house	48.7%	34.7%	0.000
Reported one or more induced abortions prior to reference period	1.6%	13.7%	0.000
Economic independence
Has an independent source of income	11.7%	23.9%	0.000
Able to keep/spend her own money	20.0% (n=23)	36.7% (n=290)	0.13
Autonomy
Permission needed to go to market	66.1%	55.6%	0.091
Permission needed to go to health centre in same village	81.4%	67.5%	0.001
Permission needed to go to natal home	99.4%	93.4%	0.003
Major decision-making role on
Cooking, market purchases	14.6%	31.7%	0.000
Purchase of major household items	15.7%	26.4%	0.000
Seeking care for own illness	39.6%	46.1%	0.17
Discussion/communication with husband in last year on issues relating to
Child illness	62.9%	92.1%	0.000
Contraception	74.0%	84.7%	0.024
Discussion/communication with mother-in-law in last year on issues relating to
Child illness	28.5%	36.9%	0.05
Contraception	4.0%	3.4%	0.859

Table 3 Decision-making on abortion: married adolescents compared with adult women (%)

	Married adolescents ⩽20 years (n=199)^* (%)	Married adults ⩾20 years (n=1293)^* (%)
Woman played a major role in the abortion decision^***	75.8	88.8
Husband made abortion decision, woman agreed	10.7%	8.9%
Mother-in-law made abortion decision, woman agreed^**, ^***	3.4	0.2
Woman wanted to continue the pregnancy but had an abortion due to family pressure^***	4.5	1.5

* n=total abortion episodes.

** Cases where mother-in-law was residing in same house.

*** 0.005 significance.

Table 4 Primary reason for abortion in married adolescent and adult women (%)

	Married adolescents ⩽20 years (n=199)^* (%)	Married adults ⩾20 years (n=1293)^* (%)
Previous child too young^***	53.3	21.2
Delay first birth^***	7.0	0.2
Family size reached, no more children wanted^***	9.5	45.1
Failure of IUD or sterilization^***	nil	3.2
Economic/work reasons	5.5	5.6
To avert birth of a girl	12.6	18.3
Fetal malformation	5.5	1.3
Maternal illness/other reasons	6.6	5.1

* n=abortion episodes.

*** 0.000 significance.

Table 5 Abortion service providers, married adolescent and adult women (%)

	Married adolescents ⩽20 years (n=199)^* (%)	Married adults ⩾20 years (n=1293)^* (%)
Providers without formal training^**	29.6	22.1
Provider and/or place of service provision not certified	41.3	43.1
Informal/traditional provider	1.5	2.1
Public sector provider	18.6	15.9
Private sector provider	79.9	82.0

* n=abortion episodes.

** 0.025 significance.