{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:23:51Z","timestamp":1785435831523,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0The global burden of uterine fibroids (UFs) has increased from 4.5% to 68.6%, but insufficient data in sub-Saharan Africa limit the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of symptomatic UFs in Eswatini.\nMethods:\u00a0An analytical cross-sectional study used purposive sampling to enrol 645 women aged 25\u201364 years old with UFs or symptoms. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews with a standardised questionnaire and analysed with descriptive statistics and logistic regression.\nResults:\u00a0The overall prevalence of UFs was 67.8% (437\/645). A higher prevalence was evident in the age group 50 years and older (81.4%) compared to prevalence (33.3%) in the age group 25\u201329 years. Notably, high prevalence was among people with diabetes (88.5%), widows (80%), those with a primary level of education (79.1%), the obese (76.3%), Depo-Provera (75.6%) and Hhohho (76.3%) participants. The univariate analysis significant association show that: for (1) ages 30\u201334 years (OR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.26\u20134.35,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.007), 35\u201339 years (OR: 5.08; 95% CI: 2.82\u20139.36,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.001), 40\u201344 years (OR: 7.77, 95% CI: 4.19\u201314.9,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.001), 45\u201349 years (OR: 5.50; 95% CI: 2.96\u201310.5,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.001) and 50+ years (OR: 8.80, 95% CI: 4.58\u201317.6,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.001); (2) primary education (OR: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.27\u20134.84,\u00a0p\u00a0= 0.009), and secondary education (OR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.12\u20133.18,\u00a0p\u00a0= 0.017); (3) been pregnant (OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.04\u20132.23,\u00a0p\u00a0= 0.029); (4) obesity (OR: 3.39, 95% CI:2.02\u20135.70,\u00a0p\u00a0&lt; 0.001); and (5) overweight (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.02\u20132.89,\u00a0p\u00a0= 0.044). After adjustments, age remained significantly associated.\nConclusion:\u00a0Uterine fibroids are highly prevalent and significantly associated with age, underscoring the need for targeted awareness and future research.\nContribution:\u00a0The study provided insights to inform policy and enhance preventive strategies within the sexual reproductive health programs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v68i1.6288","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]],"date-time":"2026-07-14T10:34:37Z","timestamp":1784025277000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and associated risk factors of uterine fibroids in the Kingdom of Eswatini"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"68","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6230-8292","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vuyisile","family":"Ginindza","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04qzfn040","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1839-877X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Makandwe","family":"Nyirenda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04qzfn040","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3853-3382","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ropo","family":"Ogunsakin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02grkyz14","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Western University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9435-3488","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Themba","family":"Ginindza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04qzfn040","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of KwaZulu-Natal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Stewart E, Cookson C, Gandolfo R, Schulze-Rath R. 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