A qualitative investigation of childbearing and seasonal hunger in peri-urban Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Poor women who live in peri-urban communities are often faced with food insecurity due to seasonal variations in food availability and accessibility. Additionally, in these communities, fertility levels are often elevated despite geographic proximity to urban areas with low cost contraception. We conducted five focus group interviews to investigate the lived experiences of childbearing in peri-urban Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to understand the behavioral and biological determinants of fertility outcomes. In the analysis of the interviews we pay particular attention to seasonal food insecurity experiences and the biological and behavioral determinants of childbearing. Our results suggest that there are less optimal times of year for childbearing and that poor, peri-urban women adjust their behavior accordingly. The results also suggest that there remain important barriers to contraceptive use even in cases where individuals associate pregnancy and childbearing with physical and psychological risk. This paper provides greater depth in understanding the determinants of fertility in resource-poor, peri-urban communities and points to some barriers for lowering fertility in similar areas.