2025/09/04 by Tegene Atamenta Kitaw and Ribka Nigatu Haile
paper · doi:10.20372/nadre:17236
Background: Being a mother for the first time is the most significant event in a<br> woman’s life. “Age at first birth” refers to a mother’s age in years when she gives<br> birth to her first child. The age of first childbirth has physical, economic, and social<br> implications. However, little is known about this issue in Ethiopia. Thus, this study<br> sought to determine the time to first childbirth and its predictors at a national level.<br> Methods: Data were extracted from the 2019 Ethiopia Demographic and Health<br> Survey using STATA version 17 software. A total of 8,885 weighted reproductiveage women (15–49 years) were included in this study. A Kaplan–Meier survivor<br> curve was generated to estimate the time of first childbirth. A log-rank test was<br> used to compare the difference in survival curves. Akaike information criteria and<br> Bayesian information criteria were calculated to select the appropriate survival<br> model for the data. The Weibull accelerated failure time model with no frailty<br> distribution was used to identify significant predictors.<br> Results: The overall median survival time to first childbirth was 18 years. The<br> significant predictors of time to first childbirth were the educational level of the<br> mother [primary education (ϕ = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.011, 1.063), secondary and above<br> education (ϕ = 1.154, 95% CI: 1.118, 1.191)], knowledge of any contraceptive<br> method [know at least one (ϕ = 1.051, 95% CI: 1.006, 1.101)], and media exposure<br> (ϕ = 1.048, 95% CI: 1.011, 1.086).<br> Conclusion: The median survival time to first childbirth was 18 years, which is lower<br> than the optimal age for first childbirth (late 20 s and early 30 s). The timing of first<br> childbirth in Ethiopia is mainly influenced by the educational level of women,<br> knowledge of contraceptive methods, and exposure to media. Thus, exposing<br> women to educational materials and other awareness-creation campaigns<br> regarding the consequences of early first childbirth and strategies to improve<br> women’s knowledge of contraceptive methods is highly recommended.