Association Between Maternal High-risk Fertility Behavior and Pregnancy Intention Among Women Aged 15 to 49 in Rwanda: Analysis of the 2014-15 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey

Background: Maternal high-risk fertility behaviors have been linked to negative maternal and child health outcomes that include anaemia, undernutrition, and child mortality. In this context, we examined the association between maternal high-risk fertility behavior and pregnancy intention among women of reproductive age in Rwanda.Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on secondary data from the 2014–15 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (n=5661). The outcome of interest was pregnancy intention of the last child defined as intended or unintended. Maternal high-risk fertility behaviors were measured using maternal age at delivery, birth order, and birth interval. Chi-square test and multivariable regression models were performed. Results: The prevalence of unintended pregnancy was 46.8% (n=2652). Overall, 35.8% (n=2017) of women experienced single high-risk fertility behavior, while 23.1% (n=1282) of women experienced multiple high-risk fertility behaviors. Compared to women who have not experienced high-risk fertility behavior, the multivariable odds ratio (95% CI) of unintended pregnancy among women in single-risk and multiple-risk fertility behaviors were 2.00 (1.75, 2.28; p <0.001) and 2.49 (2.09, 2.95; p <0. 001.), respectively.Conclusion: Exposure to high-risk fertility behaviors is positively associated with unintended pregnancy among women in Rwanda. Therefore, reproductive and sexual health services should pay special attention to women who are <18 years or >34 years old; who have more than three children already; or have children with less than 24 months’ interval between giving birth.

Fertility Behavior of Turkish Migrant Men in Europe Compared to Stayers at Origin

This paper addresses the fertility behavior of Turkish men in Europe from a context of origin perspective. Men of the first and subsequent migrant generations are compared with “stayers” from the same regions of origin in Turkey. We pay special attention to the men’s reasons for migration by distinguishing between work and nonwork motivations for migration. We use data from the 2000 Families Study, which was conducted in 2010 and 2011 in Turkey and in western European countries; the sample consists of about 3,500 men. We analyze the transitions to fatherhood as well as to second and third births using event-history analyses; and we investigate the cumulated number of children using Poisson regression analysis. As the men were aged 18–92 at the data collection, we carry out separate models for birth cohort groups. Our findings provide support for the hypothesis of the interrelatedness of events. First-generation migrant men show elevated first birth transitions, which are closely linked to marriage and migration. However, in contrast to the pattern that is often found for women, this effect is observed for labor as well as for nonwork migrants. The rates of transition to a second and a third birth differ less from those of stayers. Analyses of cumulated fertility at age 41 or older further suggest that the migrants’ overall numbers of children are smaller than those of the stayers in Turkey. Thus, our findings indicate that there are dissimilation processes and crossover trends among emigrant men characterized by higher rates of transition to family formation linked to migration but lower overall fertility.

Determinants of maternal high-risk fertility behaviors and its correlation with child stunting and anemia in the East Africa region: A pooled analysis of nine East African countries

Background In low-income nations, high-risk fertility behavior is a prevalent public health concern that can be ascribed to unmet family planning needs, child marriage, and a weak health system. As a result, this study aimed to determine the factors that influence high-risk fertility behavior and its impact on child stunting and anemia. Method This study relied on secondary data sources from recent demography and health surveys of nine east African countries. Relevant data were extracted from Kids Record (KR) files and appended for the final analysis; 31,873 mother-child pairs were included in the final analysis. The mixed-effect logistic regression model (fixed and random effects) was used to describe the determinants of high-risk fertility behavior (HRFB) and its correlation with child stunting and anemia. Result According to the pooled study about 57.6% (95% CI: 57.7 to 58.2) of women had at least one high-risk fertility behavior, with major disparities found across countries and women’s residences. Women who lived in rural areas, had healthcare access challenges, had a history of abortion, lived in better socio-economic conditions, and had antenatal care follow-up were more likely to engage in high-risk fertility practices. Consequently, Young maternal age at first birth (<18), narrow birth intervals, and high birth orders were HRFBs associated with an increased occurrences of child stunting and anemia. Conclusion This study revealed that the magnitude of high-risk fertility behavior was higher in east Africa region. The finding of this study underscores that interventions focused on health education and behavioral change of women, and improvement of maternal healthcare access would be helpful to avert risky fertility behaviors. In brief, encouraging contraceptive utilization and creating awareness about birth spacing among reproductive-age women would be more helpful. Meanwhile, frequent nutritional screening and early intervention of children born from women who had high-risk fertility characteristics are mandatory to reduce the burden of chronic malnutrition.

The Gender-Biased Fertility Behavior: Evidence from Southeast Asian Countries

This paper explores the existence of son preference and gender-based fertility behavior among Southeast Asian mothers. Using census data of ten countries (Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) over the years 1970-2014 and a sample of over 18 million observations, I show that having a first-born girl is associated with 0.16 more children in the household, equivalent to 7.2 percent rise from the mean. The marginal effects are quite robust across various specifications and subsamples. The effects are larger for countries with a lower human development index and individuals with lower education. A birth cohort analysis shows that the effects are significantly smaller for later cohorts implying that son preference fertility behavior has diminished over time.

The Transition of Son Preference: Evidence from Southeast Asian Countries

This paper explores the existence of son preference and gender-based fertility behavior among Southeast Asian mothers. Using census data of ten countries (Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) over the years 1970-2014 and a sample of over 18 million observation, I show that having a first-born girl is associated with 0.16 more children in the household, equivalent to 7.2 percent rise from the mean. The marginal effects are quite robust across various specifications and subsamples. The effects are larger for countries with lower human development index and individuals with lower education. A birth cohort analysis show that the effects are significantly smaller for later cohorts implying that son preference fertility behavior has diminished over time.

Population Growth and Fertility Patterns in an Old Order Amish Settlement: A 21-Year Follow-Up Study

This report describes population growth and fertility patterns in the Amish settlement centered in Geauga County, Ohio, and in particular, evaluates whether its fertility behavior is that of a natural fertility population. The dates of birth and death, location of household inside or outside the Geauga Settlement, and church status of all household members for the period up to January 1, 2014, were used to estimate population size, population structure, and various measures of fertility behavior. The results based on the 2014 directory were compared with similar data from the 1993 directory (Greksa, 2002) in order to estimate population growth rates and to determine if there has been change over time in population structure and fertility patterns.The settlement consisted of 15,579 individuals distributed in 3,016 households in 107 districts as of January 1, 2014. The average annual growth rate between 1993 and 2014 was 3.0%, with a doubling time of 23.0 years. Mean completed marital fertility was 6.9 live births, ranging from 0 to 17 births. There is a consistent pattern of decreasing total fertility rates (TFR) between 1924 and 2014. In particular, bivariate linear regression indicated that TFR decreased by about 1.7 births during this period. Despite the decrease in fertility over time, which is consistent with the use of birth control measures, the decrease in fertility appears to be independent of parity, suggesting that the Amish in the Geauga Settlement are still a natural fertility population.

Understanding the Fertility Behavior of Bengali-speaking Hindu and Hindi-speaking Hindu Populations Occupying Similar Urban Locale of Kolkata, West Bengal: A Snapshot Regarding Family Planning Decision-making Process

This study was conducted to understand the fertility behavior between the two population groups speaking different languages: Bengali-speaking Hindus and Hindi-speaking Hindus. The study further attempts to study the perception and practice regarding contraception use and their decision-making ability. The present study was conducted in Kolkata, West Bengal. A total of 64 women (Bengali-speaking Hindus: 34 and Hindi-speaking Hindus: 30) ranging between 15 years and 44 years were chosen by convenience sampling method. Semi-structured interview schedule was employed to record the response of the participants. Sociodemographic profile of the participants and of their husbands and fertility history were collected using structured interview. Open-ended questions were asked to the participants to understand their perception about family planning. Case studies were also taken from each participant to know about their decision-making process of family planning. Descriptive statistic was carried out to analyze quantitative data, and for qualitative data, thematic analysis was carried out manually. Mean age of the participants was 33.1 years and that of their husbands was 40.2 years. Age at marriage was low in both the groups. Source of knowledge on contraceptives was mostly husband in both the populations. The husband (100%) played a dominant role in decision-making in both the groups. The role of in-laws played a dominant role in decision-making among the Hindi-speaking population. Withdrawal method was a common method of contraceptives in both the groups.

Secularism and Fertility Worldwide

This study proposes and explores a new fertility determinant: societal secularism. Using country-level data from multiple sources ( n = 181) and multilevel data from 58 countries in the World Values Survey ( n = 83,301), the author documents a strong negative relationship between societal secularism and both country-level fertility rates and individual-level fertility behavior. Secularism, even in small amounts, is associated with population stagnation or even decline absent substantial immigration, whereas highly religious countries have higher fertility rates that promote population growth. This country-level pattern is driven by more than aggregate lower fertility of secular individuals. In fact, societal secularism is a better predictor of highly religious individuals’ fertility behavior than that of secular individuals, and this pattern is largely a function of cultural values related to gender, reproduction, and autonomy in secular societies. Beyond their importance for the religious composition of the world population, the patterns presented in this study are relevant to key fertility theories and could help account for below-replacement fertility.