Adolescent Fertility Behavior: Trends and Determinants in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Demographic and health surveys identified the trends and determinants of fertility behavior among northeastern Brazilian adolescents in 1986 1991 and 1996. Discrete-time hazard models estimated the probability of a woman having a first birth during adolescence and evaluated individual and environmental factors influencing personal fertility choices. Data showed that the factor most strongly and consistently associated with the probability of giving birth during adolescence was the young womans level of educational attainment. Adolescents who had not attended school beyond the primary level had a higher average incidence of having a first birth by comparison with those who had attained a secondary education. Multivariate analysis revealed that religious affiliation and mass media exposure did not consistently influence adolescent fertility over time. This study suggests that the promotion of education may be the most effective strategy for delaying childbearing among adolescents in northeastern Brazil. In addition the impact of health and family planning programs on teenage fertility needs to be researched further.