Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria.
<h4>Background</h4>Adverse obstetric outcomes have been commonly associated with early childbearing in many low-and middle-income countries. Despite this evidence, scholarly information on early childbearing in the sub-Saharan African region, especially Nigeria, is limited. This study ex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279404 |
| _version_ | 1797866815528894464 |
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| author | Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa Bright Opoku Ahinkorah Abdul-Aziz Seidu Aliu Mohammed Fortune Benjamin Effiong John Elvis Hagan Olusesan Ayodeji Makinde |
| author_facet | Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa Bright Opoku Ahinkorah Abdul-Aziz Seidu Aliu Mohammed Fortune Benjamin Effiong John Elvis Hagan Olusesan Ayodeji Makinde |
| author_sort | Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Adverse obstetric outcomes have been commonly associated with early childbearing in many low-and middle-income countries. Despite this evidence, scholarly information on early childbearing in the sub-Saharan African region, especially Nigeria, is limited. This study examines the predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria using multi-level analysis.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2018 were analyzed. A total of 29,949 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) were considered for the study. Descriptive statistics using weighted percentage and chi-square test of independence (χ2) were first used to describe the variables of interest. This procedure was followed by a multilevel analysis of factors associated with young maternal age at first birth in Nigeria at p<0.05 level of significance.<h4>Results</h4>Approximately 36.80% of the sample population had their first birth before the age of 18. Mothers residing in the North-East region [aOR = 1.26; 95% (CI = 1.13-1.42)] and practicing Islam [aOR = 1.17; 95% (CI = 1.05-1.29] were more likely to have their first birth before the age of 18 than those in the North-Central region and those practicing Christianity. Living in communities with medium literacy level [aOR = 0.90; 95% (CI = 0.82-0.99)] and high literacy level [aOR = 0.71; 95% (CI = 0.62-0.81)], being within richest wealth index [aOR = 0.61; 95% (CI = 0.53-0.71)] and being Yoruba [aOR = 0.46; 95% (CI = 0.39-0.56)] were associated with lower odds of young maternal age at first birth.<h4>Conclusion</h4>More than one-third of women of reproductive age in Nigeria had given birth to their first child before 18 years. Thus, there is a need for the Nigerian government and other stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations to formulate and implement policy interventions targeted at reducing early childbearing among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:30:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0859f7dd98d544efb7e9e35020792ec0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:30:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-0859f7dd98d544efb7e9e35020792ec02023-03-21T05:31:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01181e027940410.1371/journal.pone.0279404Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria.Obasanjo Afolabi BolarinwaBright Opoku AhinkorahAbdul-Aziz SeiduAliu MohammedFortune Benjamin EffiongJohn Elvis HaganOlusesan Ayodeji Makinde<h4>Background</h4>Adverse obstetric outcomes have been commonly associated with early childbearing in many low-and middle-income countries. Despite this evidence, scholarly information on early childbearing in the sub-Saharan African region, especially Nigeria, is limited. This study examines the predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria using multi-level analysis.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2018 were analyzed. A total of 29,949 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) were considered for the study. Descriptive statistics using weighted percentage and chi-square test of independence (χ2) were first used to describe the variables of interest. This procedure was followed by a multilevel analysis of factors associated with young maternal age at first birth in Nigeria at p<0.05 level of significance.<h4>Results</h4>Approximately 36.80% of the sample population had their first birth before the age of 18. Mothers residing in the North-East region [aOR = 1.26; 95% (CI = 1.13-1.42)] and practicing Islam [aOR = 1.17; 95% (CI = 1.05-1.29] were more likely to have their first birth before the age of 18 than those in the North-Central region and those practicing Christianity. Living in communities with medium literacy level [aOR = 0.90; 95% (CI = 0.82-0.99)] and high literacy level [aOR = 0.71; 95% (CI = 0.62-0.81)], being within richest wealth index [aOR = 0.61; 95% (CI = 0.53-0.71)] and being Yoruba [aOR = 0.46; 95% (CI = 0.39-0.56)] were associated with lower odds of young maternal age at first birth.<h4>Conclusion</h4>More than one-third of women of reproductive age in Nigeria had given birth to their first child before 18 years. Thus, there is a need for the Nigerian government and other stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations to formulate and implement policy interventions targeted at reducing early childbearing among women of reproductive age in Nigeria.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279404 |
| spellingShingle | Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa Bright Opoku Ahinkorah Abdul-Aziz Seidu Aliu Mohammed Fortune Benjamin Effiong John Elvis Hagan Olusesan Ayodeji Makinde Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. PLoS ONE |
| title | Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| title_full | Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| title_fullStr | Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| title_short | Predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. |
| title_sort | predictors of young maternal age at first birth among women of reproductive age in nigeria |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279404 |
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