The length of birth intervals and its effects on maternal health: Philippine setting
Date
2010-10
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Abstract
The desire to measure the effects of the length of birth intervals on maternal health in the Philippines is the primary factor motivating this study. This paper examines the effect of longer birth intervals on a mother's health using the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2008) data. Pregnancy complications-prior delivery and during delivery-were used as indicators to measure the maternal health. Vaginal bleeding and urinary tract infection during pregnancy asĀ· well as prolonged labor and excessive bleeding during childbirth pose hazards to both fetal and maternal health. The authors used probit regression model to estimate the results because of the presence of binary dependent variables. There was also a need to motivate the probit regression since one of the regressors, Preceding Birth Interval, is endogenous. Results show that the longer the birth spacing, the lesser the risks of experiencing complications in the urinary bladder.
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Keywords
Birth intervals, Maternal health, Maternal health effects, Reproductive health, Family planning, Pregnancy