Health in Women of Reproductive Age

Nilses, C. 2000. Health in women of reproductive age. A survey in rural Zimbabwe. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine 981, 65 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-4893-3. General and reproductive health and reproductive outcome were described in rural women of childbearing age (15-44 years) during 1992-93 in a cross-sectional study in Zimbabwe. Through a two-stage sampling procedure twelve villages were selected at random, and 79% of the women in the villages accepted to participate (n=1213). In a structured interview women’s self-reported morbidity, socio-economic conditions, use of health care and fertility regulation methods, reproductive outcome and infertility problems were assessed. The prevalence rates of anaemia, malaria and syphilis were investigated. Retrospectively, HIV serology was anonymously assessed and associations with socio-economic conditions and morbidity were analysed. The mean age was 28 years. Family planning was currently used by 37%. Primary and secondary infertility was reported by 0.9% and 4.4%, respectively. The perinatal mortality rate for all completed pregnancies (n=3601) was 23/1000. During the latest completed pregnancy 94% had attended antenatal care and 85% had delivered in hospitals or clinics. The self-reported complications during delivery seemed to have been cared for within the health care system. Women perceived their health as being generally good. Mean haemoglobin (Hb) was 13.5 g/dl and only 3.4% were anaemic (Hb ≤11.0 g/dl). Malaria prevalence was 5.4%, but a positive malaria test was not associated with anaemia. Syphilis prevalence was 2.2%, and a positive syphilis test increased the risk of being HIV positive three-fold (OR=3.0; 95% CI: 1.4-6.2). The prevalence of HIV was high (22%). Women aged 15-19 had the lowest prevalence (7.6%), while the highest was found in married women aged 20-29 years (30%). The differences in HIV prevalence between the villages ranged between 8.4% and 33%. HIV positive women reported no more morbidity than HIV negative women. The low morbidity found at the time of the study indicates a fairly short duration of the HIV epidemic.