Comparative fertility behavior in two ethnic groups of Fars and Turkmen in North Khorasan

Abstract

Background and purpose: Cohesion and sense of ethnicity on the one hand and religious differences on the other hand can be effective in shaping reproductive behaviors. The aim of this study was to compare the reproductive behavior of Fars and Turkmen in North Khorasan. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 406 Persian and Turkmen women using a researcher-made fertility behavior questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS21 software and descriptive and analytical indicators. Results: Reproductive behaviors between the two groups in terms of number of children (0.001). The best time of birth of the first child (0.043), the interval between the first and second pregnancy (0.002), the tendency to have children again (0.002), the number of desired children (0.025) and the current method of contraception There was a significant difference but the decision to continue or terminate an unwanted pregnancy (0.074) was not significantly different. General linear test showed that with the introduction of demographic variables to measure the effect of the number of children in the analysis, the effect of ethnicity on the number of children was removed, but the variables of mother age (0.001), age of spouse (0.001), education of wife and spouse (0.001) and female occupation (0.001) remained as effective variables on the number of children. Conclusion: Today, childbearing has changed more than other family values, therefore, in order to achieve appropriate population policies, population policy should be based on economic, social, cultural and demographic realities of society.