Determinants of time to first birth among women in ages 15–24 in Swaziland

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing transition to first birth at ages below 20 among women in Swaziland.  Study respondents were women in ages 15-24 and data was obtained from 2007 DHS. The method involved estimation of survival times for different age cohorts using Kaplan-Meir method, while Cox model was used to estimate the effect of different covariates on transition to first birth. Nearly 42% of respondents had given birth and approximately 80% were below age 20. Overall, survival times before birth was 18.22 years. Education, age of first coitus and timing of contraception use were significantly associated with transition to first birth; on the other hand, household size, place of residence and wealth index were significant only for age cohort 15–19.The study recommends for policies to retain women in school up to secondary level of education