Knowledge of obstetric fistula and associated Factors among reproductive age women in Chelia District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia A community based cross-sectional study

Background: Obstetric fistula is a hole between vagina and rectum or bladder that leads to continuous leakage of urine and/or feces.Globally, approximately 50,000-100,000 women develop fistulas annually, and approximately 2 million currently live with fistulas, which is a burden in almost 60 countries and continues to be a neglected public health problem. Ethiopia is a developing country with poor maternal healthcare and high prevalence of obstetric fistulas. Objective: This study aimed to assess knowledge of obstetric fistula and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Chelia district, WesternEthiopia, in 2021. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 403 participants who were randomly selected and enrolled between September 25 and October 30, 2021. Pretested and structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to determine the degree of association, and statistical significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. Results: This study showed that 20.2% (95% confidence interval: 12.6-27.7) of reproductive age women had a good knowledge of obstetric fistula . Independent variables such as living in urban (AOR=2.93:95% confidence interval:1.59-5.39), educational attainment of more than secondary (AOR =4.82:95% confidence interval:1.56-14.87), institutional delivery (AOR=2.21:95% confidence interval: 1.27-3.84), contraceptive use(AOR=2.95:95% confidence interval:1.23-7.06) and having prior information on obstetric complications (AOR =3.14:95% confidence interval:1.52-6.51) were found to be significantly associated with knowledge of obstetric fistula. Conclusions and Recommendations: This study showed that awareness of obstetric fistulas is low. Residence, educational status, institutional delivery, contraceptive use, and prior information on obstetric complications were significantly associated with awareness of obstetric fistulas. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the identified factors of maternal healthcare issues, particularly obstetric fistulas.