Trends in prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy among Bangladeshi women from 2007 to 2018: A comparative analysis of multiple Demographic Health Surveys

2026-02-18T06:14:57Z

Trends in prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy among Bangladeshi women from 2007 to 2018: A comparative analysis of multiple Demographic Health Surveys Background: Unintended pregnancy is a global challenge, particularly prevalent in developing 20 regions, with significant negative impacts on women's health and well-being. Bangladesh has 21 made progress in fertility decline but still faces challenges due to high rates of unintended 22 pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and limited contraceptive use. 23 Methods: The analysis utilized secondary data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health 24 Surveys (BDHS) conducted in 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017-18. The surveys employed a nationally 25 representative sampling frame using a two-stage sampling technique, covering residential 26 households across Bangladesh. The study included 28042 ever-married women aged 15-49 from 27 the four surveys. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests examined the relationships between 28 the explanatory and dependent variables. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine 29 the adjusted effects of the selected factors, presenting the results as odds ratios (OR) with 95% 30 confidence intervals (CI). Stata 15 software was used for data analysis, with (p < 0.05) considered 31 statistically significant. 32 Results: The percentage of unintended pregnancies decreased from 29% in 2007 to 21% in 2017- 33 18. Mothers aged 20-29 years had lower likelihood of unintended pregnancy (OR: 0.73-0.81), 34 compared to aged 30 years and above (OR: 1.40). Mothers with secondary education were more 35 likely to have unintended pregnancy in 2007 (OR: 1.28), but less likely in 2011 (OR: 0.75). 36 Employed mothers had higher likelihood of unintended pregnancy (OR: 1.19-1.31), while Muslim 37 mothers had higher likelihood in 2011 and 2014 (OR: 1.33-1.53), but lower likelihood in 2017-18 38 (OR: 0.73). Unmet need for contraception was consistently associated with higher odds of 39 unintended pregnancy (OR: 2.12-3.94). Conclusion: Unintended pregnancies in Bangladesh have decreased over the past decade, but still 41 pose challenges for women's reproductive health. Targeted efforts are needed to address factors 42 such as poverty, education, contraception access, and cultural norms to further reduce unintended 43 pregnancies and improve maternal and child well-being.

Validation of the Bangla version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale with the medical students of Bangladesh

2026-02-18T06:15:33Z

Validation of the Bangla version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale with the medical students of Bangladesh Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Ahsanul Kabir Background: Effective communication skill of physicians is an important component of high‐quality healthcare delivery and safe patient care. Communication is embedded in the social and cultural contexts where it takes place. An understanding of medical students' attitudes and learning communication skills would help to design and deliver culturally appropriate medical education. The Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) is a widely used and validated tool to measure the attitude of medical students toward learning communication skills in different populations, settings, and countries. However, there is no culturally adapted and validated scale in Bangla in the Bangladesh context. This study aims to culturally adapt the CSAS into Bangla, and validate it in a cohort of medical students in Bangladesh. Methods: This study used a cross‐sectional survey design to collect data from purposively selected 566 undergraduate medical students from the Rajshahi division. The survey was conducted from January to December 2023. Descriptive statistics like frequency distribution and measures of central tendency were used to measure perception regarding communication skills. The sample adequacy was measured through the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test. The internal consistency of the items was identified using Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficients. Result: The results of the study show that the Bangla version of the scale is feasible, valid, and internally consistent in the context of a developing country, Bangladesh. The overall internal consistency of the Bangla version is good since the value of Cronbach's alpha (α) is 0.882. For PAS, the internal consistency is 0.933. While, for NAS, the value is 0.719. The item‐wise average scores in the PAS indicate that female medical students are more willing to learn communication skills compared with male students (α = 0.933). While, the scores in the NAS indicate that the male students tend to have more negative attitude toward learning communication skills compared with female students (α = 0.719). Conclusion: The CSAS‐Bangla is a valid and reliable tool for assessing communica- tion skill attitudes among Bangla speaking medical students. This scale can be used in V

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Trends in prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy among Bangladeshi women from 2007 to 2018: A comparative analysis of multiple Demographic Health Surveys

Validation of the Bangla version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale with the medical students of Bangladesh