Abstract

This study aims to investigate unsafe abortion, which is more prevalent in low resource countries, contributes significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality. In Uganda, majority of patients treated for complications of induced abortion are adolescents and young, yet their knowledge and attitudes are understudied. In this paper we described the knowledge and attitudes of female youths about medical complications of induced abortions. Participants in this study were 319 youths aged 15 to 24 years who were attending Naguru’s Information and Health Centre. At recruitment the youths’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes about induced abortions and its complications were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was assessed using a scoring system and attitude using a Likert scale. In addition, four focus group discussions were conducted using an interview guide. We did the Bivariate analysis to determine the association between the youth’s attitudes towards induced abortion. Data from focus group discussions were analyzed manually. The results revealed most (93.1%) of the youths knew at least one medical complication of an induced abortion. Death (91.3%) was the most commonly cited complication. Few (16%) participants would encourage their colleagues to procure an abortion, while 83.7% would counsel others about perceived dangers of induced abortions. Participants who knew at least one complication were more likely to counsel their colleagues about the dangers of an induced abortion. Thus, knowledge of complications of induced abortions was high among female youths attending Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre (NTIHC). The majority of the youths were willing to counsel others about the medical complications of induced abortions.

Key words: Knowledge, attitudes, induced abortions, female youth.