Abortion in university and college female students of Arba Minch town, Ethiopia, 2011

IntroductionGlobally, unsafe abortion is a significant cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. One of the commonest problems facing university and college students is unwanted pregnancy followed by abortion. This study has aimed to assess abortion practice of university and college female students and to identify contributing factors.MethodologyCross-sectional study design was used in 2011. Female students from one university and three colleges of Arba Minch town were selected by proportional probability sampling method. Quantitative data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were also conducted.Results and discussionEight hundred and thirteen study participants with median age 20 have been involved in the study. Among participants 173 (21.3%) had had sex, 54 (6.6%) had been pregnant, and out of the students who had been pregnant 23 (43.4%) had an induced abortion, 4 (17.3%) of which were done under unsafe conditions. Students’ current living residence and knowledge of abortion law are the identified contributing factors to their abortion practices.ConclusionA significant proportion of pregnancies in university and college students were terminated with induced abortion. Unsafe sex is the commonest cause of unplanned pregnancy that leads to abortion induction. Campus residents are more vulnerable to abortion induction. Knowledge of abortion law and abortion induction practices are statistically interrelated.