| dc.description.abstract | The 2016 UDHS revealed that the TFR of Uganda is 5.4 children per woman. This means
that a woman in Uganda on average produces 5 or more children during her reproductive
lifespan and this has serious health implications for both the mother and the children she
bears. This increases the risks of maternal and child mortality.
The main objective of the study was to analyse the socio-economic factors influencing the
number of children ever born in Uganda. The study used 2016 UDHS female data set for
women aged 15-49 years and the sample size was 18506 women being respondents. The
explanatory variables were: age of respondents at first birth, place of residence, education
level, wealth status, religion, occupation, region while the dependent variable was number of
children ever born.
The study found out that number of children ever born had a statistically significant
association with age of respondents at first birth, place of residence, education level, wealth
status, region and occupation. Majority of the women begin child bearing at an early age (1519)
and
they
were
found
to
be
having
at
least
three
children.
Those
residing
in
the
rural
areas
had
more
number
of
children
compared
to
those
in
the
urban
areas,
women
with
no
education
(72.4%)
were
found
having
four
children
and
above
compared
to
those
with
higher
levels,
the
poor
had
the highest
number
of
children
ever
born
and
majority
were
Catholics.
The study concluded that women who enter marriage early are more likely to have more
children compared to their counterparts who enter into marriage at later age. Women who are
educated tend to have fewer children than their counterparts the uneducated women. The
findings of the study suggest that efforts to reduce fertility need to target measures that aim at
educating women beyond the secondary level to increase their median age at first marriage.
This can be embraced by all stakeholders, including donors, parents, community leaders and
local government authorities. | en_US |
