DETERMINANTS OF FERTILITY IN SIERRA LEONE: A LOGISTIC REGRESSION MOD-EL APPROACH

Authors

  • Sallieu Kabay SAMURA Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown Sier-ra Leone
  • Joseph A.L KAMARA Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown Sier-ra Leone
  • Abdul A KAMARA Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown Sier-ra Leone
  • Sallu Gerald KAIKAI Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown Sier-ra Leone

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/sljbr.v14i2.7

Abstract

Background: Fertility levels in Sierra Leone have been on the decline from approximately 5.1 children in 2008 to 4.2 children in 2019, it is still high compared to many countries. This has potentially negative consequences to the economic growth and development of a country. The objective of this study is to assess selected socioeconomic and demographic variables that influence fertility in Sierra Leone.

Method: This is a population-based study using the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) dataset.  The background variables selected for this analysis were: region of residence; educational status; wealth index and age. The roles of each of these determinants in declining fertility (total children ever born) were established. We performed logistic regression to explain the observed socio-economic disparities in fertility using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25, and statistical significance was pegged at p>0.05.

Results: Data of 9,519 women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, who have at least one child were extracted for this study. In the analysis, we found that women educational level, Wealth Index, Region and age in 5-years group had significant effect on the total number of children ever born . Women with no formal education were more likely to be more fertile compared to those with higher level of education (OR = 5.410, 95% CI 4.216-6.941). The likelihood of high fertility was OR=2.594(95% CI 2.301, 2.924, p<0.001) times higher among poor women than rich women. Also, women who lived in the North Western region were more likely to have more children compared to those who lived in Western region (OR = 1.194, 95% CI 1.063-1.341, p<0.000).

Conclusion: This study concludes that women in high-socioeconomic status are less likely to have more children in Sierra Leone. On the other hand, women in the North western tend to have more children. As a policy measure, it is suggested that priority be given to women’s educational attainment and the socio-economic wellbeing of women in Sierra Leone.

Keywords:  Fertility Levels, Binary Logistic Regression Model, SLDHS-2019 Data, Total Fertility.

 

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Published

2023-12-10

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2023): November-December 2023

Section

Original Articles

License

Submission of manuscripts to the Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research is of the understanding that the article either in part or whole is not under consideration for publication in any other Journal. Accepted papers become the permanent property of Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research but unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium is permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.