title: Unintended Childbearing and Child Growth in Northern Malawi.
abstract: Objective The study aims to assess whether unintended children experience slower growth than intended children. Methods We analysed longitudinal data linked to the Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance Site collected over three rounds between 2008 and 2011 on women's fertility intentions and anthropometric data of children. Using the prospective information on fertility intention we assessed whether unintended children are more likely to be stunted than intended children. We applied Propensity Score Matching technique to control for endogenous factors affecting both the probability that a family has an unwanted birth and a child with poor health outcomes. Results We found that 24 % of children from unwanted pregnancies were stunted compared with 18 % of mistimed pregnancies and 17 % of those from wanted pregnancies. However, these differences in probability of children being stunted, though in the expected direction, were not significant either for large or small families, after controlling for age. The number of children in the household was associated with stunting and boys were substantially more likely to be stunted than girls. Conclusion We found no significance difference in probability of being stunted by mother's fertility intention.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. angela.baschieri@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baschieri
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Machiyama
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Floyd
authors.affiliation: Community Health Department, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molesworth
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Menard
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chihana
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Judith R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Glynn
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.|Karonga Prevention Study, Karonga, Malawi.
authors.forename: Amelia C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Crampin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: French
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cleland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002676:Child, Unwanted / Q000523:psychology*; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D033182:Intention; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008295:Malawi; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Africa; Child growth; Child nutrition; Fertility; Fertility intentions; Fertility preference; Malawi; Propensity Score Matching; Stunting; Unintended pregnancy