Prevalence of stillbirth and associated factors among deliveries attended in health facilities in Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Stillbirth is an unfavorable outcome of pregnancy, which is still prevalent in many countries despite remarkable efforts made to improve the care of pregnant women. While producing estimates consistent with other national reports, all are hindered by limited data and important causes of death are likely to be missed. However; there is a scarcity of data on stillbirth in Ethiopia particularly in the Wolaita zone.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of stillbirth among women giving birth at public hospitals in the Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia.

Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in public hospitals in the Wolaita zone. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 737 women. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered using Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were used and the crude and adjusted odds ratios at a 95% confidence interval with P-value <0.05 were considered to declare the result as statistically significant.

Result: This study reported an 8.7% [95% CI: 6.5-10.8] prevalence of stillbirth. Women who lived in rural areas, had pregnancy and labor complications, a high number of pregnancies, a prior history of stillbirth, and a complicated delivery were associated with stillbirth. When compared to urban residents, being a rural resident increased the risk of stillbirth by 2.57 fold [adjusted OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.23, 5.40]. When compared to their counterparts, women who experienced complications during pregnancy and labor increased 6.23 fold [AOR = 6.23, 95% CI: 2.67-14.58], having a previous history of stillbirth increased 6.89 fold [AOR = 6.89, 95% CI: 2.57-13.57], and the type of delivery increased 7.13 fold the risk of stillbirth [AOR = 7.13, 95% CI: 2.71-18.73].

Conclusion And Recommendation: The prevalence of stillbirth among women who gave birth in public hospitals in the Wolaita zone was found to be high compared to national and regional figures. Therefore, the federal and regional governments should strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration with health facilities to promote the maternal and health care services utilization. The zonal health department and other concerned bodies should focus on the implementation of the strategies and policies that address and reduce the causes of stillbirth.