The Spread of Health Services and Fertility Transition

• Published in: Demography 2007-11, Vol.44 (4), p.747-770
• Main Authors: Brauner-Otto, Sarah R., Axinn, William G., Ghimire, Dirgha J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Behavior; Birth; Birth Control; Catchment Area (Health) - statistics & numerical data; Child health; Child health services; Child mortality; Child rearing; Children & youth; Childrens health; Communities; Community Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Community Health Services - trends; Contraception; Contraception - statistics & numerical data; Couples; Decision making; Demographic change; Demography; Effects; Family Planning; Family planning services; Female; Fertility; Fertility - physiology; Geographic Information Systems; Geography; Health care; Health Care Services; Health services; Humans; Immunization; Immunization - statistics & numerical data; Influence; Interviews as Topic; Logistic Models; Male; Maternal & child health; Middle Aged; Mortality; Nepal; Social Change; Studies; Transitions
• ISSN: 0070-3370; 1533-7790; 1533-7790
• DOI: 10.1353/dem.2007.0041

We use detailed measures of social change over time, increased availability of various health services, and couples 'fertility behaviors to document the independent effects of health services on fertility limitation. Our investigation focuses on a setting in rural Nepal that experienced a transition from virtually no use of birth control in 1945 to the widespread use of birth control by 1995 to limit fertility. Changes in the availability of many different dimensions of health services provide the means to evaluate their independent influences on contraceptive use to limit childbearing. Findings show that family planning as well as maternal and child health services have independent effects on the rate of ending childbearing. For example, the provision of child immunization services increases the rate of contraceptive use to limit fertility independently of family planning services. Additionally, new Geographic Information System (GlS)-based measures also allow us to test many alternative models of the spatial distribution of services. These tests reveal that complex, geographically defined measures of all health service providers outperform more simple measures. These results provide new information about the consequences of maternal and child health services and the importance of these services in shaping fertility transitions.