Prevalence and factors associated with early childbearing in sub-saharan Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys of 31 countries

Liness Shasha; Million Phiri; Sibongile Namayawa; Milika Sikaluzwe; Chola Nakazwe; Musonda Lemba; Mikidadi Muhanga

doi:10.1186/s12905-023-02581-z

Prevalence and factors associated with early childbearing in sub-saharan Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys of 31 countries

BMC Womens Health. 2023 Aug 14;23(1):430. doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02581-z.

Authors

Liness Shasha¹, Million Phiri^{2

3}, Sibongile Namayawa², Milika Sikaluzwe², Chola Nakazwe^{4

5}, Musonda Lemba², Mikidadi Muhanga⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. shashaliness100@gmail.com.
² Department of Population Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
³ Demography and Population Studies Programme, Schools of Public Health and Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁴ Zambia Statistics Agency, Lusaka, Zambia.
⁵ School of Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
⁶ Department of Development and Strategic Studies, College of Social Sciences and Humanities - Sokoine, University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.

Abstract

Background: Early childbearing remains a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) because it has substantial implications for women's and children's health and population control. However, little is known about recent changes in early childbearing in the region following the implementation of the Family Planning 2020 initiative (FP2020) national-level interventions. Thus, this study examined factors associated with early childbearing among women in SSA.

Methods: The study used data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2010 and 2021. The analysis included a pooled sample of 54,671 parous young women aged 20-24 years. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was used to examine the association between early childbearing and individual and household-level factors. All analyses were weighted to account for complex survey design.

Results: The study shows that the mean prevalence of early childbearing was high in SSA at 39% (95% CI: 35, 43). Chad had the highest prevalence of early childbearing, 62% (95% CI: 60, 64) while Rwanda had the lowest prevalence of 13% (95% CI: 11, 15). Completing secondary school (aOR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.62) or attaining tertiary level education (aOR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.45), first sexual debut in the age range 15-24 years (aOR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.16) and desire for a small family size (aOR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.69) were associated with reduced odds of early childbearing among young women in SSA.

Conclusion: The study has established that the prevalence of early childbearing is high in SSA. Level of education, age at first sexual debut, household size, and desired family size are associated with early childbearing in SSA. Governments of SSA countries should enhance sexual and reproductive health interventions to change reproductive behaviour, particularly in adolescents and young women.

Keywords: Adolescent health; Early childbearing; Reproductive health; Sub-Saharan Africa; Women.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Child
Child Health*
Educational Status
Family Characteristics
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Prevalence
Women's Health*
Young Adult