Assessment of Relationship between Infant Death and High Risk Fertility Behavior among Married Women of Afar. Zone Four
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Date
2006-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: - Pregnancy occurring too early too close to often or too late in life is
associated with high risk related to health both to mother and child.
It is also noted that infant mortality differential exists with regard to at least three variables
related to fertility: length of interval between successive birth, birth order, and maternal age.
All the studies note that infant mortality increases with birth order, and that it is higher when
the mother is at the upper or lower end of the childbearing span or when the interval between
two successive births is very short.
A major improvement in the health of women and children can be achieved by ensuring that
pregnancies are planned to occur at the right time in the life of women. Therefore, women
can bear their children under optimal conditions of number, age and spacing.
Objective:-The objectives of the study is therefore to asses the prevalence of high- risk
fertility and its relationship with infant death and some cultural factor affecting fertility and
infant death.
Method: - The study is a comparative study which is cross sectional using both quantitative
and qualitative method.
Result: -A total of 1299 eligible women were included in the study. Among 1299
respondents more than 96% were illiterate and full time house wives. Early marriage is a
common practice with mean age and standard deviation of 15 ± 2.2. As a child’s value is
high, large family sizes were highly preferred by the study women.
There is no known traditional contraceptive method used in the community and more than
half of the respondents were unaware of the existence of modern family planning methods.
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Sixty seven percent of the study women were at risk of high parity followed by close birth
spacing (34.9%) and too old (28.87%). High risk of infant death were associated with short
birth interval (adjusted OR 1.6 95% CI 1.1 2.5), old age (adjusted OR 1.8 95% CI 1.14
2.8) and with low birth weight adjusted (OR 3.0 95% CI 2.0 – 4.7).
Conclusion and Recommendation: - This study has shows that women in the study area are
illiterate, socially burdened to produce as many children as possible and highly exposed to
other high risk fertility behavior and higher child loss. Although, the study population is
young, bio demographic risk like higher parity, frequent birth, old age has been prevailed.
Infant mortality risk was found to be highly associated with low birth weight, frequent birth,
and old age.
Thus, Community sensitization and sustainable IEC related to high risk fertility and early
marriage; improved Integrated maternal and child health service giving special emphasis to
pregnant woman and family planning is recommended. Extension of the services to the
community through TBA and front line health worker; and Encouragement of women’s and
girl’s education and improvement of provision of pure water are strongly recommended
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Keywords
Infant Death, High Risk Fertility, Pregnancy