Faculty Collaboration Database

Female health and family planning in Sierra Leone. Obstet Gynecol 2013 Sep;122(3):525-31

Date

08/08/2013

Pubmed ID

23921854

DOI

10.1097/AOG.0b013e31829a2808

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84883207748 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current status of access to maternal care, family planning use, and place of delivery in Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world with one of the highest maternal mortality rates.

METHODS: Data from the Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need, a cross-sectional two-stage cluster-based household survey conducted in Sierra Leone in 2012, were analyzed to determine access to maternal care, family planning use, and location of delivery.

RESULTS: Of 3,318 females of reproductive age (12-50 years of age), 1,205 participants were interviewed in depth. Twenty percent (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.9-22.5) of respondents reported using family planning methods; injectables were the most frequently used method. Fifty-nine percent (95% CI 54.0-63.0) of the recalled deliveries took place outside of a health facility. Of the total births, 1.9% (95% CI 1.3-2.5) were reportedly delivered by cesarean and 0.4% (9/2,316) with instrumental delivery. There were 53 reported maternal deaths in the 12 months before the survey, resulting in a maternal mortality rate of 1,600 per 100,000 females per year. Of the maternal deaths, 30 females (56.6%) did not receive any type of modern health care with 53% (16/30) of families citing financial constraints.

CONCLUSION: This study reaffirms a low family planning uptake and very low instrument deliveries and cesarean delivery rates in Sierra Leone. Additionally, financial barriers hinder access to health care and indicate that the free health care initiative for pregnant females is not yet fully covering the reproductive needs of the females of Sierra Leone.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Author List

Groen RS, Solomon J, Samai M, Kamara TB, Cassidy LD, Blok L, Kushner AL, Dhanaraj M, Stekelenburg J

Author

Laura Cassidy PhD Associate Dean, Director, Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Delivery, Obstetric
Family Planning Services
Female
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Maternal Health Services
Maternal Mortality
Middle Aged
Pregnancy
Sierra Leone
Young Adult