Determinants of short birth interval in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis based on EDHS 2019, Ethiopia, 2023

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization and Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey on birth spacing, there should be at least a two-year gap between conception and the first of two children born in quick succession. In poor nations like Ethiopia, resource issues were complex, making it difficult to get statistics for the entire country. However, by examining Ethiopian mini demographic and health survey data, we were able to provide data at the national level. Method: The cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in several of Ethiopia’s administrative cities and nine regions. In the analysis, sampling weight was used to correct the survey’s non-proportional sample distribution to strata and areas throughout the survey process and restore representative data. The study’s household population was presented and described using descriptive statistics such as weighted frequencies and percentages. The statistically significant factors linked to frequent short birth intervals were found using a multivariable, multilevel logistic regression analysis. Result: Overall, 4306 weighted multigravida mothers nested within 305 enumeration areas were included in the analysis. The respondents’ mean (standard deviation) of the birth interval was 42.027(26.69). Higher-educated women had 12% lower odds of having a shorter pregnancy (AOR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.98) than women without higher education. The odds of a short birth interval were 3.04 times greater among women in the age category of 40–49 years at first marriage (AOR = 3.04; 95% CI: 1.08, 8.46) than among women in the age category of 15–19 years. This indicates that older women were most likely to have short birth intervals. Conclusion: In the multilevel logistic regression model, maternal age, maternal educational status, the wealth quintile index, use of contraceptives, duration of breastfeeding, and contextual regions were significantly associated with short birth intervals in Ethiopia.