The untold story of 50 years of adolescent fertility in West Africa:: A cohort perspective on the quantum, timing, and spacing of adolescent childbearing
The untold story of 50 years of adolescent fertility in West Africa:: A cohort perspective on the quantum, timing, and spacing of adolescent childbearing
Although recent studies examine overall fertility trends in West Africa, few using advanced demographic techniques focus on adolescents. This study explores long-term patterns of adolescent childbearing in 12 West African countries using 51 Demographic and Health Surveys covering birth cohorts that span 54 years (1940–1994). We employ classic demographic measures as well as disaggregation by early- (10–14 years old), middle- (15–17), and late adolescence (18–19). Cohort-based estimates of total adolescent births, parity progression ratios, and rapid repeat birth probabilities reveal little change over time. Most women begin childbearing in adolescence, the progression to additional adolescent births remains common, and the incidence of rapid repeat births is high. In recent cohorts, women exit adolescence with an average of between 0.4 (Ghana) to 1.3 (Niger) births. Contrary to common assumptions, it is women commencing motherhood in early- and middle-, not later adolescence, who account for most West African adolescent fertility.
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Garbett, Ann
bf9a0fd9-3615-433e-b07e-d016fa29c59e
Perelli-Harris, Brienna
9d3d6b25-d710-480b-8677-534d58ebe9ed
Neal, Sarah
2b63ebf7-1cf9-423d-80a2-bd99a759f784
March 2021
Garbett, Ann
bf9a0fd9-3615-433e-b07e-d016fa29c59e
Perelli-Harris, Brienna
9d3d6b25-d710-480b-8677-534d58ebe9ed
Neal, Sarah
2b63ebf7-1cf9-423d-80a2-bd99a759f784
Garbett, Ann, Perelli-Harris, Brienna and Neal, Sarah
(2021)
The untold story of 50 years of adolescent fertility in West Africa:: A cohort perspective on the quantum, timing, and spacing of adolescent childbearing.
Population and Development Review, 47 (1), .
(doi:10.1111/padr.12384).
Abstract
Although recent studies examine overall fertility trends in West Africa, few using advanced demographic techniques focus on adolescents. This study explores long-term patterns of adolescent childbearing in 12 West African countries using 51 Demographic and Health Surveys covering birth cohorts that span 54 years (1940–1994). We employ classic demographic measures as well as disaggregation by early- (10–14 years old), middle- (15–17), and late adolescence (18–19). Cohort-based estimates of total adolescent births, parity progression ratios, and rapid repeat birth probabilities reveal little change over time. Most women begin childbearing in adolescence, the progression to additional adolescent births remains common, and the incidence of rapid repeat births is high. In recent cohorts, women exit adolescence with an average of between 0.4 (Ghana) to 1.3 (Niger) births. Contrary to common assumptions, it is women commencing motherhood in early- and middle-, not later adolescence, who account for most West African adolescent fertility.
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Accepted/In Press date: 26 January 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 January 2021
Published date: March 2021
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Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the Economic and Social Research Council under Grant ES/Pooo673/1.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Population and Development Review published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Population Council.
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Local EPrints ID: 447258
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/447258
ISSN: 0098-7921
PURE UUID: ed883738-0f36-41f1-abaf-42512980fb4b
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Date deposited: 05 Mar 2021 17:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:23
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Author:
Ann Garbett
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