Abstract:
Birth interval is one of the main determinants of levels of fertility in high fertility populations.
Natural fertility depends on the duration of effective reproductive span and length of birth
interval. The time span between births is a subject of great interest in maternal and child health
due to the association between short birth interval and adverse birth outcomes In Ethiopia,
twenty percent of non first births occur less than twenty four months after the preceding birth,
with eight percent occurring less than 18 months after the preceding birth. Forty-three percent
of women give birth at least 36 months after the previous birth. Fifty eight percent of births
occurred less than 36 months in the southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State.
Objectives: The main aim of this study is to determine potential factors associated with short
birth interval and prevalence of short birth interval among married women in Mareka woreda,
south west Ethiopia, May, 2014
Methods: Community based cross sectional survey was conducted from April 1to May 1 2014.
Single population proportion formula was used to determine sample size. Multistage stratified
sampling technique was used to select samples and the final sample size calculated was 752.
Bivariate logistic regression was applied to see association of each independent with dependent
variable at 95% CI and multivariate analysis was applied to identify predictors of short birth
interval.
Results: Seven hundred and three subjects were participated in this study. Response rate of the
subjects were 93%. Fifty eight percent of the study subjects practiced birth interval less than 36
months and forty two percent of the study subjects practiced optimal birth interval length of 36-
59 months. Average age of the study subjects was 28 years (±5.5).Place of residence AOR
=3.01(2.03-4.47), duration of marriage AOR= 1.28(1.22-3.02), type of marriage
AOR=1.47(1.08-2.18), number of children currently in household AOR=1.88(1.16-3.07) and sex
of the index child AOR= 3.63(2.51-5.24) were factors associated with short birth interval at
95%CI.
Conclusion and recommendation: This study reveals that there is a practice of significant
proportion of short birth interval in the study area. Dawuro zone health department and Mareka
woreda health office should consider this finding and work together to minimize the prevalence
of short birth interval in the area.
