Abstract:
Background: Fertility is the most important component of population dynamics and plays a
major role in changing the size and structure of the population of a given area over time.
Uncontrolled fertility has adversely influenced the socio-economic, demographic and
environmental development of the country. Ethiopia is one of the most populous countries in
Africa, which suffers from direct and indirect related population problems. The Total Fertility
Rate is 4.8 children per woman and under five mortality rates 88 per 1000 live births.
Objective: This study was designed to identify risk factors of high fertility status among Married
woman Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center of Jimma University, Oromia, Ethiopia.
Methods: A community based Unmatched case-control study was conducted. Where cases are
women with number of children ever born alive greater or equal to five and controls are women
with number of children ever born alive less than five. There were 120 cases and 240 controls
selected using simple random sampling technique. Logistic regression was used to analyze the
data by using backward logistic regression variable selection techniques. All explanatory
variables that were associated with the outcome variable (fertility status) in univariate analysis
with p-value of 0.25 or less were included in the initial logistic models.
Result: Among 28 variables considered in this study, only 6 of them were found significantly and
independently associated with the level of fertility. As it can be noted from the present study that
the mean number of children per woman in the high fertile group was 6.0 (median = 6.0) while it
was 3.0 (median = 3.0) in the low fertile group. The variation in the number of children ever
born alive between the women age at last birth less than or at 30 years and greater or equal to
31 years is significant with adjusted OR of 25.65 and 95% CI (11.89, 55.31). Under-five
mortality affected number of children ever born alive significantly (AOR= 1.91, 95% CI: (1.01,
3.62). Monthly income of family, Age at first marriage, history of stillbirth experience and
number of children desired before marriage were the other variables that showed significant
associations with the level of fertility.
Conclusion and recommendation: The study finding implies high fertility status is strongly
associated with age at last birth and child death and, some other factors like stillbirth. Hence
measures that reduce child mortality and stillbirth are believed to decrease fertility status
besides promoting child survival. Measures should also be taken in order to shorten age at last
birth.
