| On the Stability of Reported Pregnancy Intentions from Pregnancy to 1 Year Postnatally: Impact of Choice of Measure, Timing of Assessment, Women’s Characteristics and Outcome of Pregnancy |
| Authors: |
J. A. Hall, J. Stephenson, and G. Barrett |
| Source: |
Maternal and Child Health Journal, Online first; DOI: 10.1007/s10995-019-02748-x |
| Topic(s): |
Maternal health
Pregnancy outcomes
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| Country: |
Africa
Malawi
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| Published: |
JUN 2019 |
| Abstract: |
Objectives
Retrospective, cross-sectional estimates of pregnancy intention, as used in the Demographic Health Survey (DHS), are the global norm. The London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) is a newer, psychometrically validated measure which may be more reliable. This paper assesses the reliability of the LMUP and the DHS question over the first postnatal year and explores the effects of maternal characteristics or pregnancy outcome on reported pregnancy intention.
Methods
We compared the test–retest reliability of the LMUP (using the AC coefficient) and DHS question (using the weighted Kappa) over the first postnatal year using data from Malawian women. We investigated the effect of maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcome using t-tests, Chi squared or Fisher’s exact tests, and calculated odds ratios to estimate effect size.
Results
The DHS question was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of unplanned pregnancies from 1-to-12 months postnatally; the LMUP was not. The LMUP had moderate to substantial reliability (0.51–0.66); the DHS had moderate reliability (0.56–0.58). The LMUP’s stability was not related to any of the factors examined; the stability of the DHS varied by marital status (p?=?0.033), number of children (p?=?0.048) and postnatal depression (p?
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| Web: |
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-019-02748-x |
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