Unintended Pregnancy Among Tanzanian Women: Prevalence and Risk Factors From the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey

Unintended pregnancies pose a significant public and reproductive health challenge, with substantial adverse effects on mothers, children, and the wider population. Despite these negative consequences, unintended pregnancies remain prevalent in Tanzania. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of unintended pregnancy in Tanzania.

This study employed an analytical cross-sectional study that was conducted using secondary data from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey. We included 1182 women selected through a two-stage sampling strategy. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA version 18, employing descriptive statistics and a weighted binary logistic regression model to identify factors associated with unintended pregnancy. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the strength and magnitude of the associations.

The prevalence of unintended pregnancy among women of reproductive age in Tanzania was 27.7% (95% CI: 24.6-31.0). In the adjusted analysis, women aged 25-34 (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.30-0.80), those aged ≥ 35 years (AOR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.26-0.96), married (AOR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.07-0.28), cohabiting (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.06-0.27), and previously married women (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.10-0.56) had significantly lower odds of unintended pregnancy. Women from a household with at least six members had higher odds of unintended pregnancy compared to their counterparts (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.25-2.57). Regarding geographical zones, women in eastern (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.03-4.14) and Zanzibar (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.44-5.38) had a higher likelihood of unintended pregnancy than those in the western zone of mainland Tanzania.

Nearly three in ten women of reproductive age experienced an unintended pregnancy in Tanzania. This study recommends the use of multifaceted strategies that emphasize youth-friendly reproductive health services, reduction of social barriers for unmarried women, tailored family planning support for large households, and strengthening healthcare access in geographically vulnerable regions to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies.