Spatial Demography最新文献

Marriage is an important social, cultural, and biological aspect of human life but is often affected by societal changes leading to differences in family formation and reproductive behaviour. Changes in marital patterns are component of transformations in a society’s social structure. Variations in marriage patterns exist within and across countries and over time. We examine the trends and spatial patterns of marital statuses among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Nigeria and further determine the associated factors based on the country’s north–south divide. Data were sourced from the Nigeria demographic and health survey conducted in 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018, and the marital patterns were classified into four categories: never married, married, cohabiting, and formerly married. A Bayesian multinomial spatial model that simultaneously estimates parameters of different forms through a geo-additive predictor was adopted, and inference was based on Markov chain Monte Carlo. Findings reveal a north–south divide in marriage patterns. Women in the northern part of the country have a higher likelihood of being in marital union, while those in the south have a higher likelihood of cohabitation. A somewhat east–west divide was obtained for formerly married. Religion and ethnicity were found to be the major factors that account for differences in marital patterns across the divide and based on rural and urban residency. Cultural practices dictated by these variables would, therefore, continue to shape marital patterns and, by extension, fertility in Nigeria. The factors are hence important to be considered in marriage related policy formulation.

Nutritional status is an important determinant of women’s health and wellbeing. However, there appears to be a dearth of information on the spatial distribution of undernutrition among women in Ghana over time. We, therefore, examined the spatial and temporal variations in undernutrition among non-pregnant Ghanaian women. Drawing on data from the 2003, 2008, and 2014 Ghana demographic and health surveys, we used geospatial techniques to show spatial autocorrelation for undernutrition levels in the study sample. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was also applied to estimate sociodemographic and contextual factors underlying the variations in the country. The results show considerable local clusterings and regional variations in undernutrition levels in the sample coupled with steady improvements within the regions over time. There was also a notable north–south divide in the undernutrition levels among non-pregnant women in the country for the study period. The spatio-temporal patterns of undernutrition levels are explained by some individual-level sociodemographic factors such as age, marital status, educational attainment, household wealth, and water source as well as the percent of regional unmet need for family planning. Policies and interventions should focus on alleviating the observed regional disparities in undernutrition levels among women while targeting and tracking higher risk women in Ghana.

India is currently one of the most demographically diverse regions of the world. Fertility and mortality rates are known to show considerable variation at the level of regions, states and districts. Little is known however, about the spatial variations of the contraceptive usage-a critical variable that is relevant to fertility as well as health policy. This paper uses data from four national population-based household surveys conducted between 1998 and 2016 to explore district-level variations in the contraceptive prevalence rate. We find no clear evidence of convergence. The gap between the best and worst performing districts is more than 70 percent across the four rounds and does not diminish over time. We also find considerable evidence of spatial clustering across districts. Districts with high prevalence concentrate in Southern states and more recently, in the Northeast of the country. Our analysis suggests that female literacy and health care infrastructure are important correlates of spatial clusters. This suggests that investments in women's human capital and health-care infrastructure play a role in expanding women's opportunities to time their births.

The presentation of figures 4, 5, 6, 8 and Appendix 1 in the original publication was incorrect. The correct figures are given below.