Prevention of pregnancy in high-risk women: community intervention in Chile.

The main objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that by improving family planning services and by focusing them on women identified as having a high risk of induced abortion it is possible to achieve a significant reduction in abortion rates in areas known for their high abortion incidence. Samples were selected and interviewed from three low-income area of northern Santiago: 1613 women in Pincoya 1620 in Cortijo and 1674 in Quinta Bella. Data collected were analyzed using multivariate analysis. Overall this study demonstrated that increasing the prevalence of contraceptive use among women identified as having a high abortion risk does reduce its incidence. More personalized family planning services in association with risk detection can succeed in lowering abortion. The population who received the benefit of the full intervention and who subsequently increased their use of effective contraception showed the clearest decline in abortion rates. An effective intervention of improved family planning services with personalized inputs directed at women with high risk of abortion can be successful in lowering abortion incidence in populations of low socioeconomic status especially in contexts where abortion is illegal.