Determinants of time-to-first birth Interval after Marriage amongst Women in Enugu South-East Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/njgp.v22i2.232Keywords:
Marriage, First birth interval, Determinants, Modern contraceptivesAbstract
Background: Fertility rates in sub–Saharan Africa remains high and this sets it apart from other regions in the world.
Aim: To identify the determinants of time to first birth interval after marriage among women in Enugu South Eastern Nigeria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 423 consecutive eligible women attending the family planning clinics of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu and Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUT) Enugu, Nigeria between November 2019 and July 2020. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the variables that have effect on the time from marriage to first birth.
Results: The mean time to first birth interval after marriage was 28.68 +/- 24.66 months while the median time to first birth interval was 21 months. The determinants of time-to-first birth interval after marriage less than 2 years on multivariate logistic regression were urban residence, participant partners having a skilled job, higher educational level of spouse, being married in a monogamous setting, no history of previous adverse pregnancy event before marriage, non-use of modern contraceptive, no Intimate partner violence and desire for a particular sex of a child after marriage especially male child (P = <0.05).
Conclusion: Longer first birth interval is expected to reduce the total fertility rate of a woman. Hence, propagation of effective contraception and cultural changes are essential to bring changes associated with reduced fertility with improved maternal and child wellbeing through elongated birth interval.
Downloads
References
Jokar M. Modernity, lifestyle changes and population decline in Iran. Islamic Journal of Women and Family 2014;2(2):39-69.
Moultrie TA, Sayi TS, Timæus IM. Birth intervals, postponement, and fertility decline in Africa: A new type of transition. Population Study 2012;66(3):241–58.
United Nations. World Fertility Report: Fertility at the Extremes. New York: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat;2014. (Available on: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3921661/files/worldFertilityReport2013.pdf. Last assessed on Oct 2022)
Dim CC, Ugwu EO, Iloghalu EI. Duration and determinants of inter-birth interval among women in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2013;33(2):175–179.
Tadesse F and Headey D. Urbanization and fertility rates in Ethiopia. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) 2012; 19(2):35.
Rahman M, Ameen M, Mustafi M, Mir M and Azad. Analysis of the determinants of marriage to first birth interval in Bangladesh. International Journal of Management and Sustainability 2013; 3(12):208-219.
Gyimah SO. A cohort analysis of the timing of first birth and fertility in Ghana. Population Research and Policy Review 2003;22(3):251–66.
Fagbamigbe AF, Idemudia ES. Survival analysis and prognostic factors of timing of first childbirth among women in Nigeria. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2016;16:102
Rao KV, Balakrishnan TR. Timing of first birth and second birth spacing in Canada. Journal of Biosocial Science 1989; 21(03):293-300.
National Population Commission (NPC) [Nigeria] and ICF 2019. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018. Abuja, Nigeria, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NPC and ICF. (Available on: https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR359/FR359.pdf. Last assessed on April 2020)
Chung W, Lee K, Lee S. Effects of the late marriage of Korean women on the first birth interval. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2006; 39(3):213-20.
Obeng Gyimah S. A cohort analysis of the timing of first birth and fertility in Ghana. Population Research and Policy Review 2003;22(3): 251–266.
Onah HE, Obi SN &Akogu PO. Waiting time to conception among the Igbo women of Enugu, Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2009; 29(5): 412–414.
Mohammadreza M and Hakimeh M. Determinants of marriage to first birth interval in Birjand, Iran. A Retrospective-Prospective Cohort and Survival Analysis. International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Sciences 2018; 6(8): 328–334
Dunbar J, Sheeder J, Lezotte D. Age at Menarche and First Pregnancy Among Psychosocially At-Risk Adolescents. American Journal of Public Health 2008; 98(10): 1822–1824
Mubiru F, Atuhaire L, Lubaale Y, Wamala R. Predictors of time to first birth after first marriage among women in Uganda. African Population Studies 2016;30(2):2482-2494.
Mohammad MA. Marriage to First Birth Interval and its Associated Factors in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 2015;4(4):36-47.
Cherne AG, Shebeshi DS, Banbeta A. Determinant of time-to-first birth interval after marriage among Ethiopian women. BMC Women's Health 2019;19(1):157.
Gurmu E, Etana D. Age at first marriage and first birth interval in Ethiopia: analysis of the Roles of social and demographic factors: African Population Studies 2014;28(3):1332-1344.
Abhiman D. Population Evolution Model and its Application for the Estimation of Stable Fertility Rate of Indian States: Demography India 2006;35(1): 95-110.
Spong CY. Defining “Term” Pregnancy Recommendations From the Defining “Term” Pregnancy Workgroup. Journal of American Medical Association 2013;309(23):2445-2446.
Patra P, Prakash J, Patra B, Khanna P. Intimate partner violence: Wounds are deeper. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 2018;60(4): 494–498.
Saadati M, Bagheri A and Abdolahi A. Marriage to first birth interval; A cross-sectional study in Tehran (Iran). International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Sciences 2018;6(3): 290-296.
Malhotra A, Tsui A. Marriage Timing in Sri Lanka: The Role of Modern Norms and Ideas”. Journal of Marriage and Family 1996;58 (2): 476-490.
Feng W and Quanhe Y. Age at Marriage and the First Birth Interval: The emerging change in sexual behavior among Young Couples in China. Population and Development Review 1996;22(2):299-320.
Fagbamigbe AF and Idemudia ES. Assessment of quality of antenatal care services in Nigeria: evidence from a population-based survey. Reproductive Health 2015; 12(8):1-9.
Kumar GA, Danabalan M. Determinants of Delayed First Birth. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2006; 31 (4):272.
Shah P, Zoa J. Induced termination of pregnancy and low birthweight and preterm birth: a systematic review and meta‐analyses. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2009; 116(11): 1425-1442.
Anuwoje I, Albert L. Survival analysis of time to first birth after marriage. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences 2013; 3(12): 117–126.
Nwokocha EE. Male- child syndrome and the agony of motherhood among the Igbo of Nigeria. International Journal of Sociology of the Family 2007;33(1):219-234.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nigerian Journal of General Practice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
