Preferred Length of Birth Intervals in Zambia: Exploring the Determinants

Pushpanjali Swain, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, India
Vijayan Pillai, University of Texas at Arlington

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of a few selected factors on preferred duration for birth intervals among low income households in Zambia. Four factors were selected using the social influence perspective. Two urban neighborhoods from the City of Kitwe in Zambia were randomly chosen. Questionnaires were administered separately to husbands and wives living in 165 households in the sample. The dependent variable is preferred length of birth interval (as stated by husbands and wives separately) measured at the ordinal level. Data were analyzed separately using ordinal logistic regression for husbands and wives separately. The survey also collected extensive qualitative data. These data were analyzed using content analysis. Wives who received advice on spacing methods were more likely to prefer 1 to 2 years of birth interval than those who did not receive advice. However, among husbands, only prior use of contraception influenced the length of preferred birth intervals.