The determinants of number of children ever born among women in Ankole, Uganda

Abstract

Introduction and Significance This study was conducted in Ankole Region, Uganda. The objective of the study was to assess the determinants of number of children ever born among the women aged 15-49 years. Methods The research methodology for the study was a descriptive cross-sectional research design and Quantitative data was employed to get the clear understanding of the determinants of number of children ever born among women aged 15-49 years in Ankole region. The researcher used secondary data from 2016 UDHS women data set and data was analyzed using SPSS and STATA 15. In order to come up with clearer results, some variables were further grouped. Results Study findings indicated that place of residence was not a significant predictor of number of children ever born (p-value of 0.797 which is greater than 0.05), religion was also not a significant predictor of number of children ever born (p-value of 0.688 which is greater than 0.05), and also wealth was not a significant predictor of number of children ever born (p-value of 0.108 which is greater than 0.05). The study results indicated that the highest education level was a significant predictor of number of children ever born with a significance value of 0.007 which is less than the usual critical value of 0.05. Conclusions The study concluded that efforts should be mostly employed in improving the educational status of women since it’s the most important determinant of number of children ever born in women in Ankole region.