Adverse Consequences of Unintended Pregnancy for Maternal and Child Health in Nepal

We examine the hypothesis that unintended pregnancies are associated with negative health outcomes for both mothers and children using data from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey that showed that 30% of the births in 2011 were unintended (including unwanted and mistimed births). The results, showed that mothers were more likely to receive inadequate prenatal care (OR = 1.29; p<.05) and were also more likely to opt for home births (OR = 1.30; p<.05) when the pregnancy was unintended compared to when it was intended. Likewise, the resultant newborns were more likely to receive inadequate immunization (OR = 1.17; p<.05) and remain stunted (OR = 1.21; p<.05) when the pregnancy was unintended compared to when it was intended. The results underscore the importance of adopting a two-prong approach: reducing unintended pregnancies through effective family planning programs and paying special attention to the mothers who have an unintended pregnancy.