Patterns and determinants of birth intervals in a sample of women in Erbil city, Iraq

Background and objectives: Birth spacing has been recognized as an indispensable life-saving measure for both mothers and newborns. The present study has been conducted in the northern part of Iraq (Erbil city) to assess birth spacing among a group of women and find its association with different variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was applied among women attendees to the Maternity Teaching Hospital and two primary health care centers in Erbil city over a one-year period from 1st of October 2019 to 30th of October 2020. A convenient sample size of 500 married women who have at least previous two consecutive births. Direct interview with women was used to collect data on demographic, social, and obstetric characteristics. Results: The prevalence rate of short birth spacing for the whole study population was 63.4%. A significant relationship was detected among those with an educational level of intermediate & secondary school and below, housewives and those with low to medium Socioeconomic status as the rate of short birth spacing was highest in the reproductive age group of women (from age 35 to age 44), those with educational level of intermediate & secondary school and below, those who were housewife, and those with low to medium socio economic status (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.008) respectively. Also, the rate of socioeconomic status among those with history of abortion (69%) was significantly higher than the rate (58.6%) among those with no such history with (p<0.016). Conclusions: it confirmed that the distribution of short birth spacing of women in Kurdistan region is significantly influenced by many determinant factors including maternal age, education, occupation, parity, socio-economic status and non-contraception use.