Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (Jul 2021)
While inadequate birth interval becomes detrimental to health & nutritional outcome in infant and under-five year children; a systematic review through BLR and CPH model
Abstract
Objective: Maternal inadequate birth interval (<33 Months) have some adverse impacts on both mother's and new-born baby's health. The study aims to examine the impact of maternal inadequate birth interval on adverse birth and nutritional outcomes on new born babies in one part and on another part, the study examines the mother's birth interval survival duration before reaching the desired (≥33 Months) birth interval for index birth from preceding birth as failure. The study also narrates the hazard ratio of maternal inadequate birth intervals that varies in accordance with different socioeconomic characteristics of individuals through Cox Proportional hazard (CPH) model. Design: This model is a semi parametric regression model and better suited for survival data. The unit of analysis for this present study is children under 5 years of age and mothers who have at least two consecutive births before 5 years preceding the survey. Data source: Data was taken from the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4). Results: Results revealed that child's under nutritional outcomes (Stunting and Under Weight) and adverse birth outcome (Low birth Weight) is higher among those children whose birth interval were less than two years. Furthermore, non-parametric Kaplan Meier survivor function estimated that in India the median maternal birth interval is 32 months and 25% Indian mothers give their child birth before reaching 2 years from her preceding birth while 36 months interval between two consecutive births are good fit for mothers and new born health. Hazard ratio on inadequate birth interval is higher among those mothers who lived in rural areas, survive with poorest wealth background, belonged to SC & ST social category and had no single year of education.
