Karina Paredes
Research Mentor(s): HaEun Lee
Mentor Department: Systems, Population, and Leadership
Authors: HaEun Lee, Karina Paredes
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 22
Abstract
African refugee women face an increased risk of unintended pregnancies, particularly in Uganda, which hosts a large refugee population and has high birth rates. These factors contribute to high rates of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality. Postpartum family planning (PPFP) is a critical strategy to improve reproductive health outcomes. However, in many African refugee households, men often serve as the primary decision-makers regarding family size and childbearing, while couples engage infrequently in open discussions for mutual decision-making. Based on findings from our previous qualitative study, we have developed a comprehensive survey to explore individual- and couple-level factors that shape PPFP decisions and behaviors among refugee couples. We will conduct a cross-sectional survey among 210 African refugee couples in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement. For the individual level factors we have financial status, mental stability, knowledge information, and peer/community influence. For the couple level factors we examine closeness, trust, commitment, communication, and joint household decision making. The outcome variables we are interested in are couples concordance and discordance in PPFP desires, preferences, discussion, decision making, and behavior. This study aims to better understand the various factors influencing African refugee couples’ PPFP decision-making and behavior. By identifying key facilitators and barriers to PPFP, the findings will inform the development of culturally tailored interventions to improve reproductive health outcomes and foster more equitable family planning practices within refugee communities in Uganda. Study finding will inform future research to focus on specific individual and couple level factors to improve reproductive health outcomes for Nakivale refugee community and beyond.
