Proximate determinants of fertility and contraceptive use among currently married women in Ethiopia

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Statistics and Population Studies)Fertility is one of the elements in population dynamics that has significant contribution towards changing population size and structure over time. In Ethiopia, fertility dropped only slightly between 2000 and 2005, from 5.5 children per woman to 5.4, and then decreased further to 4.8 children in 2011(CSA, 2012). Although a slight decreasing trend has shown from year to year, it is still high as compared to developed nations (Tewodros,2011). The age at which childbearing begins is an important factor in the overall level of fertility as well as of the health and well-being of the mother and the child (CSA, 2012).In 2008, of the 1.4 billion women in the developing world of reproductive age (15-49 years), more than 570 women die per 100,000 live births, and 70 percent of them die due to totally avoidable reasons (World Bank,2010). These women live in countries where their status is poor to extremely poor, and these conditions threaten their health in many ways. Sedgh, Hussain, Bankole, and Singh (2007) found that wherever fertility is high, maternal and infant and child mortality rates are high. In addition to these, high fertility and shorter birth intervals affect the survival chance of children and the health status of mothers. Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data from 18 developing countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East showed that a birth interval of threeyears increases the survival status of under-five children (Rutstein, 2003). Moreover, a similar survey of 52 developing countries found that markedly short birth intervals have a negative effect on pregnancy outcomes, increased morbidity in pregnancy, and increased infant and child mortality (Rutstein,2005). Setty-Venugopal and Upadhyay (2002) have documented that, in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 60% of women deliver the next child before the index child celebrates his/her third birthday, and almost a quarter before the second birth day

Improving maternal and reproductive health in Ethiopia

This study aimed to examine the relationship between maternal health and good quality of life in an attempt to understand the years between 2005 and 2011. Data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys 2005 and 2011 were used. Bivariate, Camer-V, chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the relative contribution of the predictor variables. The hypotheses tested in this study were that gender, wealth quintile, type of place of residence and region are highly significant with women’s education and work status. Females’ expected age (adjusted odds ratio = AOR) for some school training has dropped in 2011 from 0.678 to 0.255 for the age group 25–34, but male expected age (AOR) for some school has increased in 2011 from 0.784 to 2.274. The age of the respondent, age at first cohabitation and socio-economic variables were positively associated with having visited health facilities in the last 12 months and being visited by a family planning worker.IS

Correlates of gender characteristics, health and empowerment of women in Ethiopia

The low status of women prevents them from recognizing and voicing their concerns about health needs. This study aimed to examine the relationship between gender characteristics, health and empowerment of women in an attempt to understand between 2005 and 2011. Data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2005 and 2011 were used. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the relative contribution of the predictor variables. The hypotheses tested in this study were that gender (men and women), health and empowerment of women in region are highly significant with women’s education and work status. Study findings showed that the low status of women and their disempowerment are highly associated with poor health outcomes. In both 2005 and 2011 men school ages were positively associated with their attainment in primary education, whereas for women it was negatively related with their attainment in some education. In both 2005 and 2011 women in the richest wealth quintile had the highest odds ratio of relating to some education

Correlates of gender characteristics, health and empowerment of women in Ethiopia

The low status of women prevents them from recognizing and voicing their concerns about health needs. This study aimed to examine the relationship between gender characteristics, health and empowerment of women in an attempt to understand between 2005 and 2011. Data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2005 and 2011 were used. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the relative contribution of the predictor variables. The hypotheses tested in this study were that gender (men and women), health and empowerment of women in region are highly significant with women’s education and work status. Study findings showed that the low status of women and their disempowerment are highly associated with poor health outcomes. In both 2005 and 2011 men school ages were positively associated with their attainment in primary education, whereas for women it was negatively related with their attainment in some education. In both 2005 and 2011 women in the richest wealth quintile had the highest odds ratio of relating to some education

Proximate determinants of fertility in Ethiopia: comparative analysis of the 2005 and 2011 DHS

Fertility is one of the elements in population dynamics that makes a significant contribution towards changing population size and structure over time. In Ethiopia, for the last 10 years the total fertility rate (TFR) has declined slightly from 5.5 to 4.8 children in 2011. But, the TFR in urban areas has increased from 2.4 to 2.6 per 1000 live births. The Bongaarts model was applied to estimate the indices of the four main proximate determinants of fertility. Bongaarts defines the TFR of a population as a function of the total fecundity rate (TF), index of marriage (Cm), index of contraception (Cc), index of postpartum infecundability (Ci), and index of abortion (Ca); this can be written as TFR = Cm × Cc × Ci × Ca × TF. In 2005, the index of married women in urban areas was lower than rural, but it was unfortunately the same in urban and rural areas in 2011. For the last decade, the index of postpartum infecundability had a great fertility reduction effect compared with the contraception index and marriage index in rural Ethiopia. The lower the four indices of proximate determinants, the more fertility will be reduced. As such, the Ethiopian government, international non-governmental organizations and policy-makers must pay attention to increase the prevalence of contraceptive use and educate society to fight against child marriage. Permanent contraceptive use, such as female sterilization, should be promoted; moreover, legal organizations and the community must work together to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years.IS