Determinants of Abortion among Young Women in Edo State, Nigeria

Nancy Murray, Futures Group International
William Winfrey, Futures Group International
Scott Moreland, Futures Group International
Friday Okonofua, Futures Group International
Jerome Mafeni, Futures Group International
Leanne Dougherty, Futures Group International
Minki Chatterji, Futures Group International

In 2002, a household survey of 10-24 year olds in Edo State, Nigeria registered high levels of abortion. This survey included pregnancy histories for all women interviewed as well as a rich set of questions about socio-economic status and sexual attitudes and behaviors. Of 358 pregnancies reported in the survey, almost 50% were terminated. The determinants of abortion among female respondents will be identified using a two-stage model. The first stage will model the probability of pregnancy and the second will be a logistic regression model that predicts abortion for those women who do become pregnant. Important covariates include age, ethnicity, residence, access to health services, ever use of contraception, material possessions, marital status, in-school status and level of completed education for those out of school, whether the pregnancy was planned or not planned, frequency of sex and attitudes toward sex including ever receipt of gifts or money for sex.