Duration and determinants of inter-birth interval among women in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria

C C Dim1, E O Ugwu, E I Iloghalu

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.

The difference in fertility levels of any given two societies has a relationship with the interval between births. We determined the duration of inter-birth interval and the determinants of short inter-birth interval in Enugu, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to a cross-section of 420 women consecutively recruited from the family planning and antenatal clinics of two hospitals in Enugu metropolis. The mean age was 30.9 ± 5.1 (range 20-44) years. The median inter-birth interval was 21.5 months and the prevalence of modern contraceptive use among respondents was 18.1%. Women's age of 25 years or less, duration of breast-feeding of 10 months or less, and non-use of modern contraceptives had strong association (p < 0.05) with short inter-birth interval. The mean inter-birth interval in Enugu is short. Future child spacing campaign in Enugu should target the encouragement of longer breast-feeding practices and increased uptake of modern contraception among our women.

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