Socio-economic and demographic determinants of fertility in Northern Uganda

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to investigate the socio-economic and demographic determinants of fertilty in northern Uganda. Northern region was selected because of the high fertility rate in the country and yet the region has been characterised by political instabilities for long. The research was based on the UDHS 2006 data and focused on women aged 15-49. The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between fertility, intermediate variables and background factors. Data analysis was based on 3 levels namely: univaraite analysis, bivariate and multivariate level of analysis intended to establish the relationship between the dependent and independent variables under study. A poisson model for count data was used. The study indicated that the highest percentage of respondents were aged between 15-19 and 58% of women were married. The majority had attained primary education, 71% were Catholics and most of the respondents were in monogamous marriages. About 70% of the respondents got married between 15- 19 years, 80.6% had never used any contraceptives and most respondents were not working and residing in rural areas. Age at first marriage, contraceptive use, marital status, husband’s education, and occupation had a significant association with the fertility of a woman. There were differentials in fertility which included: marital status, woman’s education, breastfeeding, type of marriage, residence and occupation. The study concluded that women who go for contraceptive use are those who have got children, women with no children do not bother with contraceptives; education for mothers has a negative contribution to fertility and monogamous married women who are engaged as agricultural labor were found to be of high fertility. The study recommended girl child education beyond primary level of education and promotion of contraceptive use among monogamous unions for birth control.