Role of proximate and non-proximate determinants in children ever born among Indian women: Change detection analysis from NFHS-3 & 5

Abstract

India is a developing nation and has achieved a significant reduction in fertility. This study attempted to identify the trend of change in children ever born (CEB) against proximate and non-proximate factors over the 2005–2019 period. This study used secondary data from the National Family Health Survey. The count outcome “children ever born” was separately analyzed against several factors for two periods to mark the changes through a Poisson regression model. The results revealed that the mean number of CEB had declined irrespective of the factors. However, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of CEB increased particularly against certain factors. In the subsequent period, the IRR of CEB increased among women who had more than three daughters at home and were engaged in early sexual intercourse. More aggressive policies should be adopted to delay the early debut of sexual intercourse and disseminate awareness among couples that the sex of the children does not matter.