Validating the self-reported fertility status of rural Malawian women.
This study uses data from a population-based survey to examine the fertility schedules of 704 women in a rural district of Malawi. The main objective is to assess self-reported fecundity status as a measure of fertility impairment. Life tables are used to examine the timing and tempo of births for women reporting difficulty getting pregnant as compared to women with no reported fecundity difficulties. Results of the analysis indicate that women with self-reported fecundity difficulties are older at each birth and have longer median birth intervals than do women with no reported difficulties. Cox proportional hazards models show that the report of a difficulty getting pregnant is significantly associated with at least a 30% lower likelihood of a first, second, or third birth. The relationships are not modified when accounting for demographic characteristics, previous sexual behaviors, or STI status.
MEASURE/Evaluation, Carolina Population Center,University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, USA. bardenof@email.unc.edu
Janine
J
Barden-O'Fallon
Chirayath
C
Suchindran
Amy O
AO
Tsui
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001721:Birth Intervals; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015993:Life Tables; D008295:Malawi / Q000453:epidemiology; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012424:Rural Population