Abstract:

Background: Unsafe abortion represents one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in Tanzania. According to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, 16% of maternal deaths are due to complications from abortion; this is comparable to the proportion of maternal deaths from unsafe abortion in Eastern Africa (18%). The prevalence of unsafe abortions in hospital-based settings in both urban and rural areas in Tanzania has been documented in a number of studies, which have shown that up to 60% of women admitted with an alleged miscarriage had in fact had an unsafe induced abortion.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess knowledge, perception and associated factors on unsafe abortion among female students at Nyamagana District-Mwanza.

Methodology: The school-based Descriptive cross-sectional study were conducted at Mwanza Secondary and High School involving 101 female students aged 18 years and above. The data were collected by using self-administer close ended structural questionnaires and systematic sampling techniques. The data were processed using SPSS version 20.

Results: Out of 101 respondents 69(68.3%) were knowledgeable and 32(31.7%) were unknowledgeable. On other hands 73(72.3%) of them has bad perception and 28(27.7%) of them has good perceptions on unsafe abortion. In addition to this out of 101 interviewed female students concerning the role of teachers on preventing unsafe abortion 52(51.4%) responded health promotion and awareness while the rest 49(48.5%) responded counselling. Lack of access to family planning was the main associated factor of unsafe abortion followed by Unexpected pregnancy, Ignorance, Early marriage, Poor parenting, Peer pressure, Poverty and lastly being Early initiation of sexual intercourse among female students.

Conclusion and recommendations: In this study found majority of respondent has 69(68.3%) has knowledge and majority 73(72.3%) has bad perception pertaining unsafe abortion among female students at Mwanza Secondary School. It has been that lack of access to family planning is the major factor causing unsafe abortions among female students in Nyamagana District Mwanza Region and best suggested to combat it is to provide education, good parenting and good participation of teachers on preventing unsafe abortion.

Significance of the study: information on the magnitude of unsafe abortion, most leading factor of unsafe abortion and best ways to combat unsafe abortion were obtained to ensure evidence-based prevention of unsafe abortion and management.