title: Prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of women with induced abortion in a population sample of São Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims at estimating the prevalence of women with induced abortion among women of childbearing age (15-49 years) who had any previous pregnancy, in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the last quarter of 2008, and identifying the Sociodemographic Characteristics (SC) associated with it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was carried out. The dependent variable was dichotomized as: no abortion and induced abortion. The independent variables were: age, paid work/activity, familial monthly income, schooling, marital status, contraceptive use and number of live births. Statistical analysis was performed using log-binomial regression models with approximation of Poisson to estimate the Prevalance Ratios (PR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all women with any previous pregnancy (n = 683), 4.5% (n = 31) reported induced abortion. The final multivariate model showed that having now between 40 and 44 years (PR = 2.76, p = 0.0043), being single (PR = 2.79, p = 0.0159), having 5 or more live births (PR = 3.97, p = 0.0013), current oral contraception or IUD use (PR = 2.70, p = 0.454) and using a "non effective" (or of low efficacy) contraceptive method (PR = 4.18, p = 0.0009) were sociodemographic characteristics associated with induced abortion in this population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Induced abortion seems to be used to limit fertility, more precisely after having reached the desired number of children. The inadequate use or non-use of effective contraceptive methods, and / or the use of contraceptives " non effective", exposed also the women to the risk of unintended pregnancies and, therefore, induced abortions. In addition, when faced with a pregnancy, single women were more likely to have an abortion than married women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Milena Goulart
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carmen L B
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Solange A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Souza e Silva
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult