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Abstract

Age at first birth influences the length of a woman's reproductive years and affects fertility behavior including choices of child spacing which have profound influence on future population structure and dynamics. This study examines women’s demographic and social characteristics; identified their ages at first birth and relationship with status of marriage; their child spacing behavior; contraceptive usage; and duration of breastfeeding after child birth. Primary source of data was questionnaire administered to women of reproductive age representing three age cohorts whose ages range between 35-44, 25-34 and 15-24 years respectively. Systematic random sampling technique was adopted to ensure representativeness and an unbiased data collection. The Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table of sample size range was used to determine respondent number. Hence, 356 copies of questionnaire were randomly administered to respondents in 10 non congruent political wards of Ilorin. Data were collated and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as tables, figures, percentages, correlation and multiple regression. Findings reveals that average age at first birth was 27years, with 71.1% of respondents experiencing their first birth at age 30+. Only 2.2% had first births between ages 15 to 19 years. About 87% of respondents are married, while 91.1% of all first births occurred within wedlock. Correlation and multiple regression analyses showed a weakly increased relationship (r=+0.151) between births before marriage and age at first birth (as age increases, number of births before marriage shows a weak increase in relationship). Also, as age at first birth increases, number of birth after marriage significantly increases (r=+0.40). Furthermore, 24months spacing was most common interval amongst 43% of respondents. Breastfeeding duration ranged between three to 36 months, while 72% have never used any form of modern contraception. Study concludes that understanding how factors such as mothers’ age at first birth, spacing behavior and contraceptive usage influence each other is essential in designing effective population/reproductive health policies and family planning programs. It hereby recommends the provision modernized crèche services for nursing mothers in work places, extension of maternity leave periods as well as enhancing continuing education policies like ordinary and distance learning programs for underserved housewives and mothers in all communities.

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