Awareness of obstetric fistula and associated factors among women in reproductive age group attending public hospitals in southwest Ethiopia, 2021

Plain Language Summary Globally, between 2 and 3 million women were affected by obstetric fistula. Moreover, obstetric fistula is common in developing nations, as around 60% of it was found in sub-Saharan the so-called fistula belt' and middle east Asia. This devastating condition adversely affects both the Physical and Mental health of the women. There is little research conducted concerning the health burdens of the obstetric fistula in southwest Ethiopia. Therefore, this article provides a better understanding of the level of awareness on obstetric fistula and barrier (factors) that hinders the early detection and treatment of obstetric fistula. In this study, a cross-sectional study design was employed and data were collected from 400 women of the reproductive age group who visited public hospitals in the Ilu Aba Bor Zone. Our study shows that educational status, has not heard about complications of obstetric fistula, being far distant from the health facility, and not being pregnant were found to be factors that hinder the early detection and management of obstetric fistula. In conclusion, the finding of this study reported a low magnitude of level of awareness on obstetric fistula as compared to other previous studies. Background Obstetric fistula occurs in all developing countries but it is confined to the "fistula belt" across the northern half of Sub-Saharan Africa from Mauritania to Eritrea and in the developing countries of the Middle East and Asia. Ending obstetric fistula is critical to achieving Sustainable Development by 2030. So creating awareness on obstetrics fistula among women in the reproductive age group have a crucial role in reducing morbidity, mortality, and social stigma. Objective To assess awareness on obstetric fistula and its associated factors among reproductive-age women attending governmental hospitals in southwest Ethiopia, 2021. Methods An Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 413 women. The sample size was estimated by using a single population proportion formula. The collected data were coded and entered into EPI-data version 3.1 then exported to SPSS version 24 for descriptive and inferential analysis. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) along with 95% confidence level was estimated to assess the strength of the association and variables with a p-value < 0.05 were considered to declare the statistical significance in the multivariable analysis in this study. Results In this study, a total of 400 clients have participated in the study. The mean ages of participants were 30.26 (SD +/- 8.525) years old. Education of women who cannot read and write are 85% less likely to have good awareness than women who are above the secondary level of education [AOR = 0.162; 95% CI (0.081-0.364)]. While Women who have primary education level are 83% less likely to have good awareness than women who are above the secondary level of education [AOR = 0.170; 95% CI (0.085-0.446)]. In addition, This study shows women who have not heard about obstetric complications are 54% less likely to have awareness of obstetric fistula than those who heard about obstetric complications [AOR = 0.458; 95% CI (0.368-0.643)]. Conclusion This study identifies that the educational level of women, history of pregnancy, distance to the nearby health institution, and awareness of obstetrics complications were the factors associated with awareness of reproductive age women on obstetrics fistula. Hence, increasing awareness on obstetric fistula plays a key role in averting this problem.