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Birth wantedness reports: a look forward and a look back.
1Department of Rural Sociology, Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. lbw2@cornell.edu
Social Biology
|June 12, 2002
Summary
Women’s fertility intentions show inconsistency with their reports of pregnancy wantedness. This study examines factors influencing these discrepancies in birth intention data.
Area of Science:
- Demography
- Reproductive Health
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- Assessing the reliability of fertility attitudinal data is crucial for understanding reproductive behaviors.
- Previous research highlights potential discrepancies between stated intentions and actual outcomes.
- The National Survey of Family Growth provides valuable longitudinal data on fertility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the consistency of fertility intention reports with subsequent birth wantedness.
- To identify factors associated with inconsistencies in reported fertility intentions.
- To analyze how changes in circumstances affect women's reports of birth wantedness.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing data from the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth and a telephone reinterview.
- Comparing Time 1 fertility intentions with post-birth wantedness reports.
- Analyzing discrepancies across various respondent characteristics and changes in marital status.
Main Results:
- Significant inconsistencies were found between women's initial birth intentions and their later reports on pregnancy wantedness.
- Subgroup analyses revealed variations in these inconsistencies based on demographic and circumstantial factors.
- The duration since birth was found to influence intention reports.
Conclusions:
- Fertility intention data requires careful validation due to observed inconsistencies.
- Understanding these discrepancies is vital for accurate demographic and reproductive health research.
- Further investigation into the dynamics of intention reporting is warranted.