DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Preventing unintended pregnancy is a topic of global and domestic importance. In 2013, almost 290,000 maternal deaths occurred due to complications of pregnancy or child-birth; 99% of these deaths were in developing countries (World Health Organizations, 2014). Additionally, more than 4 million infants died before reaching their first birthday, a large number being attributed to multiple factors related to unhealthy timing of pregnancy (World Health Organization, 2012). The World Health Organization (2012) asserts the ability of women to adequately control the timing and spacing of pregnancy can dramatically decrease maternal mortality due to pregnancy complications and unsafe abortions, decrease infant mortality, prevent the spread of HIV to infant populations, and reduce adolescent pregnancy. Reducing unintended pregnancy by healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies constitute two of the eight aims of the United Nations Millennial Development Goals for 2015 (United Nations, 2014).

The ability to time and space pregnancies is most urgent in economically vulnerable populations for whom unplanned pregnancy is devastating, such as for Haitian families. Haiti is among the poorest countries in the world with 80% of its population living below the poverty line. Haiti ranks 31st in the world for maternal mortality related to child birth, 40th for infant mortality, and the prevalence of contraceptive use is only 34%. (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2015; Haiti 2012, 2014). More than 55% of the population is under 24 years of age, with the majority being under 14 years of age (CIA, 2015). Audu, Yahya, and Bassi (2006) suggest that the lack of individualized options and ineffective education in developing countries can curtail the use of modern natural or artificial contraceptives. Providing options and cultivating informed decisions for healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies are imperative initiatives for both the health of developing countries and for meeting the Millennial Development Goals for 2015.

Date

4-7-2016

First Advisor

Linda Wofford

Scholarly Project Team Member

David Wyant

Scholarly Project Team Member

Cathy Taylor

Department

Nursing, School of

College

Health Sciences & Nursing, Gordon E. Inman College of

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree

Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Grantor

Belmont University

Keywords

Haiti; Pregnancy--Prevention; Developing countries

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