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POST-ABORTION CARE SERVICES FOR YOUTH AND ADULT CLIENTS IN KENYA: A COMPARISON OF SERVICES, CLIENT SATISFACTION AND PROVIDER ATTITUDES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2013

EMILY EVENS*
Affiliation:
FHI 360-North Carolina, Durham, NC, USA
ROSE OTIENO-MASABA
Affiliation:
FHI 360-Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
MARGARET EICHLEAY
Affiliation:
FHI 360-North Carolina, Durham, NC, USA
DONNA McCARRAHER
Affiliation:
FHI 360-North Carolina, Durham, NC, USA
GWYN HAINSWORTH
Affiliation:
Pathfinder International, Watertown, MA, USA
CATE LANE
Affiliation:
USAID, Washington, DC, USA
MARGARET MAKUMI
Affiliation:
Pathfinder International, Nairobi, Kenya
PAMELA ONDUSO
Affiliation:
Pathfinder International, Nairobi, Kenya
*
1Corresponding author. Email: eevens@fhi360.org

Summary

Unsafe abortion accounts for 35% of maternal mortality in Kenya. Post-abortion care (PAC) reduces maternal death and provides an opportunity to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Few studies have documented how the receipt of PAC services varies by client age. In this study, descriptive data were collected from clients, providers and eight health facilities in Kenya's Central and Nairobi provinces to examine receipt of PAC services by client age, client satisfaction and provider attitudes. Delivery of PAC treatment, pain management, HIV and STI services and violence screening did not vary by age. However, fewer youth between the ages of 15 and 24 received a contraceptive method compared with adult clients (35% versus 48%; p=0.02). Forty-nine per cent of youth reported not using a family planning method due to fears of infertility, side-effects or lack of knowledge compared with 22% of adults. Additional efforts are needed in Kenya to bolster the family planning services that young PAC clients receive and increase the uptake of contraception.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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