African Population Studies (UAPS) / Etude de la Population Africaine (UEPA)
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Prevalence and Determinants of Unintended Pregnancies in Malawi
Get PDFAvailable statistics indicate high levels of unintended pregnancies in Africa. This study examines the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancies in Malawi based on 2,144 pregnant women extracted from the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. Data were analyzed using univariate, bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models. Nearly 43% of the pregnancies were unintended of which 25% were mistimed. Multivariate analysis indicated that mistimed pregnancies are significantly influenced by the age of the respondent, fertility preference and number of children ever born. Among the variables that significantly increased the likelihood of unwanted pregnancies are age of respondent, wealth status, fertility preference, and region of residence even though potential confounding factors were used as control. The study recommends the strengthening of family planning services in order to reduce the level of unintended pregnancies. Focus should be on couples in Central Region and those having large number of childre
Tanzanian men’s gender attitudes, HIV knowledge, and risk behaviours
Get PDFThis study uses data from the 2004-05 Tanzanian Demographic and Health Survey to examine whether men’s traditional gender role attitudes contribute to their sexual risk behaviours for HIV. Logistic regression with random effects were used to analyze effects on risk behaviours at last sex (partners being drunk and condom use) with the three most recent sexual relationships. Men’s traditional gender attitudes increased risky sexual behaviours (e.g., not using a condom) even when they had accurate knowledge regarding HIV risks. The impact of men’s gender attitudes and HIV knowledge on risky sexual behaviours did not vary by relationship type. Unexpectedly, condom use was more likely when either partner was drunk compared to neither being drunk, though the protective impact of HIV knowledge remained. Overall, these findings suggest that traditional gender attitudes present barriers to preventing HIV/AIDS that even increased knowledge about HIV risks may not overcome.
The stall in fertility decline in rural, northeast, South Africa: the contribution of a self-settled, Mozambican, refugee sub-population
Get PDFUsing longitudinal data from the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in rural South Africa, this paper examines the role of the fertility of self-settled, former Mozambican refugee sub-population on the stall in fertility decline in the Agincourt HDSS from 1993 to 2009. The Agincourt HDSS fertility trend is decomposed to quantify the relative contribution of the Mozambicans to fertility changes. Results show that fertility level declined by about 1.5 children per woman over the period and the level remain around 2.5 children per woman in the last eight years of the period examined suggesting a stall in fertility decline in the sub-district population covered by the HDSS. However, while the fertility of the Mozambicans fell consistently over the period, there was a reversal in the fertility decline of South African women residing in the area suggesting that the overall stalls are attributable to stalls in fertility decline among South African women.
Gender differences in sexual behaviour amongst university students in Mahikeng, South Africa
Get PDFStudies indicate that females are more prone to the consequences of ‘irresponsible’ sexual activities than males on university campuses. This paper presents gender differences in sexual behaviour among students on a university campus. Data were collected from 1,060 students (451 males and 609 females). Multivariate data analysis included both multiple OLS regression and multinomial logistic regression. The results show that the proportion of virgin females was twice as much as males. The average age at first sexual intercourse was higher for females (18 years) than males (16 years). The analysis also shows that gender and year of study are significant determinants of age at first sex. Moreover, in a multivariate perspective, males are less likely to indulge in risky sexual activities compared to their female counterparts. It is recommended that the HIV/AIDS programme on campus should focus on ways to minimize ‘irresponsible’ sexual activities and put more emphasis on females
Relationship between women’s socioeconomic status and empowerment in Burkina Faso: A focus on participation in decision-making and experience of domestic violence
Get PDFSince 2009, the Burkina Faso government has launched a national policy to empower women and to better integrate gender equity in policies, actions, and programs. This paper explores how socioeconomic characteristics shape two aspects of women’s empowerment: decision-making in the household and experience of domestic violence. Using binary logistic regression, data for 9,141 cohabiting or married women from the 2010 Burkina Faso Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) are analyzed. Decision-making is positively associated with working for cash, education and higher household wealth. Women’s experience domestic violence is weakly related to socioeconomic characteristics. Only psychological pressure is related to education and household wealth. The study show that high levels of human capital and financial autonomy influence women's participation in decision-making. The subtlety of the relationship between women’s empowerment and domestic violence is also shown. In acceptance of traditional gender roles, neither education nor financial autonomy is sufficient to assert women’s empowerment.
Rural-urban residence, modernism and fertility: a study of Mwanza region, Tanzania
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to assess the effect of rural-urban residence and modernization on fertility preference among urban female migrants versus rural female non-migrants. The specific objective is to assess the impact of the amount and timing of urban residential experience on six dimensions of modernism in attitudes and behaviour. A sample of 397 women of the reproductive age living in Mwanza region was interviewed in 2012. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Data analysis technique employed was multivariate using SPSS version 16.0 and ethnograph softwares for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Results show that scores on modernism indices were consistently higher for women with urban residential experience. Women who migrated from villages to the city reported attitudes and behaviours more modern than women with no urban residential experience. The study concludes that the change from traditional to modern values, norms and behaviours among female migrants came from gaining an urban experience. Thus recommending that women’s migration empowerment is crucial to fertility regulation in Tanzania
Determinants of diarrhea among young children under the age of five in Kenya, evidence from KDHS 2008-09
Get PDFThis paper examines the relative contribution of household, demographic and maternal characteristics to the incidence of diarrhea in young Kenyan children. Data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008- 09 was used with a total of 3838 women included in the study. The measure of diarrhea in children was derived from woman’s questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis showed that age of child [AOR, 0.796; 95% CI, 0.559-1.134] and residence of mother [AOR, 0.538; 95% CI, 0.324-0.895] are more likely to influence childhood diarrhea. Higher education level of mother was associated with lower incidence of childhood diarrhea [AOR, 0.187; 95% CI, 0.609-0.573]. Household characteristics that had statistically significant influence on childhood diarrhea included sources of drinking water [AOR, 1.644; 95% CI, 1.040-2.599] and household size [AOR, 1.334; 95% CI, 1.000-1.780]. This paper emphasizes the importance of mothers being literate and access to good quality drinking water sources in reducing childhood diarrhea
The absentee spouse phenomenon and spousal coping strategies in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria
Get PDFMajor incentives for marriage and family life are cohabitation, companionship, control economics and regular coital relationships for both procreation and pleasure. When spouses absent from home over a prolonged repeated period, it poses threat to expectations of family relations with implications for population and society. It is against this backdrop that this article examined the Determinants of Absentee Spouse Phenomenon and Spousal Coping Strategies in Ibadan, South-western Nigeria. Primary (questionnaires, IDIs and KIIs) and secondary data were gathered. Findings revealed that ASP is becoming rampant in Nigeria and involves both men and women; but mostly men within the framework of traditional African masculinity and breadwinnerism. Sixty-eight percent (68.1%) of the respondents maintained main cause of ASP is economic (employment and business).The outcomes of the ASP on the children, the spouses, the marriage as well as the spousal coping mechanisms were engaged in this article
Use of maternal health care as a predictor of postpartum contraception in Nigeria
Get PDFThis study examines the relationship between the utilisation of maternal health care and the postpartum use of contraception in Nigeria. The analysis was based on the data from the Women’s Questionnaire and the calendar data from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Only women whose most recent birth was between January 2003 and one full year before the date of interview in 2008 were included. The use of maternal health care (ANC visits and timing of postnatal check-up) is significantly associated with the use of a modern method of contraception during the postpartum period. Other significant predictors of the postpartum use of a modern method include region, education, the household wealth index, exposure to family planning messages and religion. The findings suggest that contraceptive use among postpartum women will increase substantially if more women use maternal health care services, especially for antenatal care and postnatal care
The Effect of Socio-Demographic Factors on Risky-Sexual Behaviours of Adolescents in the North West Province of South Africa
Get PDFThe present study sought to fill a research void on adolescent problem behaviours in South Africa by examining individual and contextual factors that affect sexual-risk taking behaviours amongst black African adolescents in a poor community of the North West Province of South Africa. Using the logistic and Poisson regression analytical techniques, we find that individual and contextual factors such as gender, grade, religiosity, peer influence, parental value of children, parent-child communication, school attachment, the use of alcohol and substance like tobacco and marijuana all affect sexual risk behaviours like lifetime sex, recent sexual activity and involvement with multiple sexual partners. Policy implications of these findings are discussed