Risk Factors of High Fertility Status among Married Women in Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center of Jimma University, Oromia, Ethiopia: A Case Control Study.

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.