Early Childbirth and its Implication for Household Living Condition Among Women in Nigeria

Measured by any standard, vast majority of Nigeria are living in abject poverty. The three core values of development (Sustainability, Self-Esteem and Freedom from servitude) are nothing to write home about especially among women. Having observed the trend of early childbirth in Nigeria, the population-based data obtained from 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) was used in examining the relationship between maternal age at first birth and household living condition. Pearson’s chi-square (χ2) was used to test the significances of the existing relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. While controlling for some important variables, the odd ratio of logistic regression analysis was employed in examining the net effects of the socio-demographic factors. The study shows a high prevalence of early childbirth in the country with 60% of the respondents having their first birth experiences before age 20 years. More than half of the respondents (68%) are revealed as living a poor household condition. Most of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics tested, revealed a significant influence on the prevalence of early child birth (p-value < 0.05).

Keywords: childbirth, household, poverty, women in Nigeria