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  2. Vol 26, No 12s (2022)
  3. Fonseka

Associations between spousal gender equity and recent unintended pregnancy among married adolescent girls and their husbands in rural Niger

Ruvani W. Fonseka(1), Stephanie M. DeLong(2), Holly B. Shakya(3), Sneha Challa(4), Mohamed I. Brooks(5), Jay G. Silverman(6),


(1) Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
(2) Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
(3) Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
(4) Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
(5) Pathfinder International, 9 Galen Street, Suite 217, Watertown, MA, 02472, USA
(6) Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
Corresponding Author

Abstract


This study in rural Niger examines if gender equity attitudes of married adolescent girls and their husbands are associated with recent unintended pregnancy (UIP) and ever-use of family planning (FP). Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted associations between husbands' and wives' equity (jointly and separately) and the two outcomes. UIP was less likely to be reported by adolescent girls with equitable husbands, controlling for wife's equity (adjusted odds ratio/aOR: 0.57, 95% confidence interval/CI: 0.41-0.80), and was more likely to be reported by equitable wives (aOR: 2.26, CI: 1.59-3.24). In stratified analyses, wife's equity was associated with a nearly three-fold likelihood of UIP in couples with inequitable husbands (aOR: 2.79, CI: 1.58-5.05). Ever having used FP was not associated with husbands' or wives' gender equity. Interventions targeting reproductive health outcomes for married adolescent girls should focus on spousal equity attitudes – improving wives’ equity might be ineffective if husbands remain inequitable. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[12s]: 38-47).

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