Yosef Tewodros, Debela Degfachew, Shifera Nigusie
School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan Teferi, Ethiopia.
Public Health Department, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Harare Regional Health Bureau, Harar, Ethiopia.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jan 24;10:1025111. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1025111. eCollection 2023.
Short birth intervals have been linked to higher rates of fetal loss, prenatal mortality, and poorer child survival. Therefore, for countries like Ethiopia that have a population policy intended at reducing fertility, understanding the level and factors influencing birth spacing is crucial in order to apply appropriate intervention. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of the short birth interval among child-bearing age women in the Gedeb Hasasa district of the West Arsi zone, Ethiopia.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 July to 20 August 2018. A multistage sampling method was used. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to gather data. The collected data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and later exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the short birth interval. The level of significance was declared at a -value of <0.05.
A total of 714 women participated, with a 98% response rate. The median birth interval length was 32 months. The prevalence of the short birth interval was 50.4%. After adjusting for confounding variables, being a rural resident [AOR = 2.50, 95% CI (1.52, 4.09)], having an illiterate husband [AOR = 4.14, 95% CI (2.15, 8.45)], breastfeeding duration for 7-12 months [AOR = 3.16, 95% CI (1.95, 5.13)] and 13-23 months [AOR = 2.45, 95% CI (1.52, 3.95)], sex of the prior child [AOR = 0.63, 95% CI (0.45, 0.88)], and previous child alive [AOR = 0.20, 95% CI (0.14, 0.96)] were the determinants of short birth interval.
One in every two women practiced short birth intervals. The median birth interval duration was 32 months, which is below the minimum standard recommended by the WHO duration for the birth interval, which is 33 months. Short birth intervals were determined independently by residence, husband education, breastfeeding time, previous child's sex, and previous child's survival. Therefore, increasing women's awareness of the ideal birth interval should be done through community health professionals and health developmental armies.
生育间隔短与胎儿丢失率、产前死亡率升高以及儿童生存状况较差有关。因此，对于像埃塞俄比亚这样有旨在降低生育率的人口政策的国家来说，了解生育间隔的水平及其影响因素对于实施适当的干预措施至关重要。本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚西阿西地区格德布哈萨萨区育龄妇女中生育间隔短的患病率及其决定因素。
于2018年7月20日至8月20日开展了一项基于社区的横断面研究。采用多阶段抽样方法。通过面对面访谈收集数据。将收集到的数据录入Epi Data 3.1版本，随后导出到SPSS 21版本进行分析。采用逻辑回归来确定与生育间隔短相关的因素。显著性水平设定为P值<0.05。
共有714名妇女参与，应答率为98%。生育间隔的中位数长度为32个月。生育间隔短的患病率为50.4%。在对混杂变量进行调整后，农村居民[AOR = 2.50，95%CI(1.52, 4.09)]、丈夫为文盲[AOR = 4.14，95%CI(2.15, 8.45)]、母乳喂养7至12个月[AOR = 3.16，95%CI(1.95, 5.13)]以及13至23个月[AOR = 2.45，95%CI(1.52, 3.95)]、前一个孩子的性别[AOR = 0.63，95%CI(0.45, 0.88)]以及前一个孩子存活[AOR = 0.20，95%CI(0.14, 0.96)]是生育间隔短的决定因素。
每两名妇女中就有一名生育间隔短。生育间隔的中位数持续时间为32个月，低于世界卫生组织建议的生育间隔最短标准33个月。生育间隔短由居住情况、丈夫受教育程度、母乳喂养时间、前一个孩子的性别以及前一个孩子的存活情况独立决定。因此，应通过社区卫生专业人员和健康发展队伍提高妇女对理想生育间隔的认识。
