Abstract

Introduction: Attention to reproductive health and its related factors is an essential step towards the promotion of health in societies and families with an emphasis on role of women. Considering the increase in the number of female headed households and the important role of social and economic factors on all aspects of their health, investigating the effect of these factors on reproductive health is necessary in this susceptible group. Aim: To investigate the effect of socio-economic factors on reproductive health in female heads of household. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 female-headed households from four regions of north, south, east and west of Zahedan using purposive sampling. Data was collected using a demographic characteristic form, socio-economic status questionnaire and reproductive health questionnaire. To analyse the data, descriptive and inferential (Chi-square test and binominal logistic regression) statistics in SPSS version 21 was used. Results: There was a significant relationship between reproductive health and the level of income, educational and occupational status of the participants (p<0.05). Level of income was revealed to have the highest effect on reproductive health (CI: 0.074-0.915, OR=0.26). As well as the chances of having undesirable reproductive health status were lower in the females with higher education (CI: 0.099-0.891, OR=0.296), and in employed women. (CI: 0.182-0.815, OR=0.385). Conclusion: The socio-economic factors, especially the level of income, played an important role in the reproductive health of the female-headed households. Consequently, extensive planning seems crucial to improve the level of income in this vulnerable group of society.