Disability and female sterilization in Colombia: An analysis of the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey

Objectives: This study uses Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data to research the association between female sterilization and disability status, along with the association between age at the time of sterilization, marital status at the time of sterilization, and parity at the time of sterilization. Methods: The DHS collects and analyzes disability data based on recommendations from the Washington Group, however, Colombia added additional domains which did not allow for guidance from the Washington Group to create a disability severity score to be used. Therefore, three binary disability variables were developed and analyzed separately. Results: Chi-squares and logistic regressions were the primary methods of analysis, with the only statistically significant result being the association between parity at time of sterilization and severe disability. Conclusion: These results are contradictory to previous research, and it is possible that sterilization as a method of contraception is so common in Colombia that significant differences on the basis of disability status cannot be identified. This study emphasizes the importance of informed consent and the need for future research regarding the decision-making power surrounding female sterilization for disabled women.