[A study of attitudes and behavior regarding fertility among newlyweds in Taipei City].

Abstract

There are around 40,000 births in Taipei City each year. Of them about 40% are of the 1st parity. Of all deliveries, about 80% are born to mothers under 30 years old. There are about 20,000 marriages each year. Of all brides and grooms surveyed in the present study, 39.4% and 39.1% consider the ideal time to conceive being either as early as possible or within 1 year after the wedding. In actuality, 28.08% of the respondents were already pregnant before the wedding. Excluding the inteviewees who were married for over 1 year, 34.1% are currently pregnant, 6.98% have already given birth, and 0.15% have become pregnant again after a birth. This result is similar to the findings of the KAP conducted by the Center in 1980, which showed that 41.3% of the interviewees gave birth to their 1st child within 1 year after the wedding. The same survey of 1980 also finds that the interval between the 1st and the 2nd child is 1.94 years, though women in general consider the ideal interval to be 2.6 years. How to encourage those who are to be married and the newlyweds to prolong the intervals between the wedding and the 1st child and between the 1st and the 2nd child is an important task of the health educators. The present study interviews 1013 couples who registered their marriages in October 1983. Needs, targets, and contents of education programs are identified. Better ways to communicate with the newlyweds are also indicated. The purpose of the study, based on the findings, is to propose a model most suitable for the education in family planning of those who are to be married and who are just married, in order to provide them with better services and to further reduce the fertility of young people.