Determinants of fertility in rural Ethiopia: the case of Butajira Demographic Surveillance System (DSS)

Wubegzier Mekonnen, Addis Ababa University
Alemayehu Worku, Addis Ababa University

Fertility was still higher in rural Ethiopia. Women differed in various characteristics including access to food and encounter to drought which requisite the assessment of determinants of fertility. Reproductive age women were recruited from the Butajira DSS database. A DHS maternity history questionnaire was administered on 9996 participants. Data quality was assured besides to ethical clearance. Poisson regression crude and adjusted IRR with 95 CI were used to ascertain determinants of fertility. Early marriage, higher education, smaller family, child death inexperience and living in food secured households were negative predictors of fertility. Fertility was significantly higher among women with no child sex preference. However, migration status of women was statistically insignificant. Policy makers should focus on hoisting women secondary school enrollment and age at first marriage. The community should also be thought on the negative impact of fertility on household economy, environmental degradation and the country’s socio-economic development at large.