Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Womens With Disabilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study

Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Womens With Disabilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Womens With Disabilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study Gelila Woredebrhan, Ever Syoum, Berhanu Dendena, Delayehu Bekele, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Over 1 Billion people worldwide live with some kind of disability, and the average prevalence rate of disability across the globe is estimated to be 15.6%. Almost 80 percent of the 180–220 million young people who live with disabilities worldwide reside in developing nations. It is believed that there are 15 million disabled individuals in Ethiopia, ranging from intellectual and physical impairments to visual and hearing impairments. Intimate partner abuse against women is 2–4 times more common among individuals with disabilities than those without. Objective factors affecting sexual and reproductive health service utilization among adolescents with disabilities in Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia 2025G.C Method A structured questionnaire was administered by ten female data collectors and two female supervisors to gather information from women with disability in Gedeo Zone as part of a community-based cross-sectional study. Logistic regression analysis assessed the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services, P-value < 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance. Result This study explores the sociodemographic and reproductive health characteristics of 605 reproductive-age women with disabilities in Southern Ethiopia. The participants, predominantly single (53.4%) and Protestant (66.4%), had a mean age of 27.82 years, with 34.5% being illiterate and most residing in rural areas. Physical impairments were the most common disability type (62.1%). Regarding reproductive health, 43% had been pregnant, but 94.5% were not using family planning methods. Only 15.7% utilized sexual and reproductive health services in the past year, being married women were 80% more likely to utilize sexual and reproductive health service compared to unmarried women. Women with pregnancy histories were seven times more likely to access these services, and those with past abortions were eight times more likely to do so. Conclusion The study highlights the need for specialized interventions to enhance access to sexual and reproductive health services for women with disabilities. It calls for improved education, social support, and targeted outreach programs to empower these women and ensure equitable healthcare access, underscoring the importance of supporting their reproductive rights. SRH disability southern Ethiopia Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 18 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9056959","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":630399907,"identity":"903134b0-51ec-49e8-920a-fabe5771a39e","order_by":0,"name":"Gelila Woredebrhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dilla University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gelila","middleName":"","lastName":"Woredebrhan","suffix":""},{"id":630399909,"identity":"d4f22c46-c72a-469a-a24a-3f5158f24b41","order_by":1,"name":"Ever Syoum","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dilla 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08:53:35","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108181937,"identity":"99b2fa87-bd46-450f-881c-2f60d37cc35c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-30 08:59:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":425996,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SRHRutilization1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9056959/v1_covered_54d8fcce-811c-4a7b-9faf-c6114c143066.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eReproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Womens With Disabilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-womens-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bmwh","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Women's Health](http://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/bmwh/default.aspx","title":"BMC Women's Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"SRH, disability, southern Ethiopia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver 1\u0026nbsp;Billion people worldwide live with some kind of disability, and the average prevalence rate of disability across the globe is estimated to be 15.6%. Almost 80 percent of the 180\u0026ndash;220\u0026nbsp;million young people who live with disabilities worldwide reside in developing nations. It is believed that there are 15\u0026nbsp;million disabled individuals in Ethiopia, ranging from intellectual and physical impairments to visual and hearing impairments. Intimate partner abuse against women is 2\u0026ndash;4 times more common among individuals with disabilities than those without.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObjective\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003efactors affecting sexual and reproductive health service utilization among adolescents with disabilities in Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia 2025G.C\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethod\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA structured questionnaire was administered by ten female data collectors and two female supervisors to gather information from women with disability in Gedeo Zone as part of a community-based cross-sectional study. Logistic regression analysis assessed the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services, P-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 were used to declare statistical significance.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResult\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study explores the sociodemographic and reproductive health characteristics of 605 reproductive-age women with disabilities in Southern Ethiopia. The participants, predominantly single (53.4%) and Protestant (66.4%), had a mean age of 27.82 years, with 34.5% being illiterate and most residing in rural areas. Physical impairments were the most common disability type (62.1%). Regarding reproductive health, 43% had been pregnant, but 94.5% were not using family planning methods. Only 15.7% utilized sexual and reproductive health services in the past year, being married women were 80% more likely to utilize sexual and reproductive health service compared to unmarried women. Women with pregnancy histories were seven times more likely to access these services, and those with past abortions were eight times more likely to do so.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study highlights the need for specialized interventions to enhance access to sexual and reproductive health services for women with disabilities. It calls for improved education, social support, and targeted outreach programs to empower these women and ensure equitable healthcare access, underscoring the importance of supporting their reproductive rights.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Womens With Disabilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-28 17:55:17","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9056959/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-20T12:55:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-13T15:07:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-20T09:55:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-18T23:42:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Women's Health","date":"2026-03-18T16:06:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-womens-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bmwh","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Women's Health](http://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/bmwh/default.aspx","title":"BMC Women's Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b29aaafd-c046-4ba9-82e9-c7f5b14b2327","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 28th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-28T17:55:17+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-28 17:55:17","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9056959","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9056959","identity":"rs-9056959","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}