Pregnancy intention data completeness, quality and utility in population-based surveys: EN-INDEPTH study
Judith Yargawa1, Kazuyo Machiyama2, Victoria Ponce Hardy1
1Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH) Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Population Health Metrics
|February 9, 2021
Summary
Pregnancy intention questions in surveys are crucial for understanding maternal care. Pregnancy-specific questions are more reliable than family size questions for assessing unintended pregnancies and their impact on antenatal care and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Survey Methodology
- Global Health
Background:
- Unintended pregnancies affect approximately 40% of global pregnancies.
- Accurate measurement of pregnancy intention in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is vital, often relying on surveys like the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS).
- Limited evaluation exists for existing survey questions on pregnancy intention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate existing and additional survey questions for measuring pregnancy intention.
- To investigate the association between measured pregnancy intention and utilization of maternity care.
- To examine the relationship between pregnancy intention and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Main Methods:
- The EN-INDEPTH study surveyed 69,176 women of reproductive age across five Health and Demographic Surveillance System sites in LMICs (2017-2018).
- Pregnancy intention was assessed using pregnancy-specific questions and desired-versus-actual family size questions.
- Associations were analyzed between pregnancy intention measures and antenatal care visits, delivery place, stillbirth, neonatal death, and low birthweight.
Main Results:
- Pregnancy-specific questions showed higher consistency with future fertility desires compared to family size questions.
- Women reporting unintended pregnancies were less likely to attend adequate antenatal care (4+ visits, first trimester visits) and had higher rates of stillbirth and neonatal death.
- No significant associations were found for desired-versus-actual family size intention with the studied outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Pregnancy-specific intention questions provide a more reliable assessment of pregnancy intention than family size questions.
- Women with unintended pregnancies face barriers to timely and frequent antenatal care, necessitating implementation research.
- Additional survey questions may complement existing DHS measures for a more comprehensive understanding of pregnancy intention.
Related Concept Videos
01:08Data Collection by Observations
14.1K
Data collection refers to a systematic way of obtaining, observing, measuring, and analyzing accurate information. Observational studies are one of the most widely used methods of data collection. It involves collecting data by observing the behavior and physical characteristics of a sample without making any modifications to the sample.
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...
14.1K
01:20Study Designs in Epidemiology
630
Epidemiological study designs are fundamental tools for investigating the distribution, determinants, and control of health conditions in populations. They help researchers understand the relationships between exposures and outcomes, and they broadly fall into two categories: "observational" and "experimental" studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
630
01:12Analysis of Population Pharmacokinetic Data
541
Analysis of population pharmacokinetic data involves studying the behavior of drugs within diverse populations to understand their pharmacokinetic parameters. Traditional pharmacokinetic methods typically involve collecting samples from a few individuals and estimating these parameters. While these methods are commonly used, they have limitations in capturing the variability in drug response among individuals or heterogeneous populations. Population pharmacokinetics is employed to address these...
541
02:16Surveys
16.3K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
16.3K
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
6.6K
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
6.6K
01:07Data Collection by Survey
8.3K
The systematic method of obtaining and analyzing accurate information of a population is called data collection. A survey is a standard method of data collection that involves collecting information from a target human population about their experience, opinion, or knowledge of a product, service, or process. The responses are recorded and interpreted. The most common survey examples are written questionnaires, face-to-face or telephonic conversations, focus groups, and electronic (e-mail or...
8.3K