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SIZE OF NEWBORN AND CAESAREAN SECTION DELIVERIES AMONG TEENAGERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EVIDENCE FROM DHS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2006

MONICA MAGADI
Affiliation:
Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP), Loughborough University, UK
ALFRED AGWANDA
Affiliation:
Population Studies and Research Institute, University of Nairobi, Kenya
FRANCIS OBARE
Affiliation:
Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
NEGUSSIE TAFFA
Affiliation:
African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya

Summary.

This paper uses DHS data from 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, collected in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to examine perceived size of newborn and Caesarean section deliveries among teenagers in the region. A comparison between teenagers and older women, based on logistic regression analyses for individual countries, as well as multilevel logistic analyses applied to pooled data across countries, and controlling for the effects of important socioeconomic and demographic factors, shows that in general, births to teenagers are more likely to be small in size but are less likely to be delivered by Caesarean section compared with births among older women. An examination of the country-level variations shows significant differences in perceived size of newborn and Caesarean section deliveries between countries. However, the observed pattern by maternal age does not vary significantly between countries, suggesting that these patterns are generalizable for the region. For teenagers with characteristics associated with higher odds of Caesarean section, being in a country with an overall higher rate particularly amplifies their individual probability.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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