Fertility preference of pregnant women attending the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) Antenatal Clinic, Suva, Fiji Islands, 2015

Abstract

Background: There are more than two hundred million women in developing countries of childbearing age who do not use modern contraceptives but wish to avoid pregnancy. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Fiji remains moderately high at 2.6 children per woman. This survey was conducted to identify the fertility preferences of pregnant women attending the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) Antenatal Clinic, in Suva, Fiji Islands. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,203 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic of CWMH in Suva between May 2014 and December 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Using purposive sampling, those who met the study inclusion criteria were asked to answer the questionnaire. The collected data was analysed using SPSS and descriptive statistical analysis and the results are shown in tables and graph format. Results: The majority of participants were aged 20 to 24 years old (36.3%) and more than two thirds of them were married (88.1%). Ninety-one percent of the participant’s partners were employed and 58.3% of them were living together for 0 to 4 years. Fifty one percent were 20 to 24 years at the time of first sexual intercourse. The best spacing time to wait between pregnancies was reported to be 3 years (37.4%), followed by 2 years (27.3%) and 4 years (12.8%). One third of participants (34.5%) preferred to have one child after this pregnancy. A majority of participants were planning to have 3 to 4 children (48.6%) when they were nulliparas. Importantly 50.3% of women did not want any more children after this pregnancy highlighting an unmet contraception need. Conclusion: The results of the study highlighted the fertility preference of pregnant women in Fiji and the factors affecting it. This study will give insights to decision makers to develop interventions based on the influencing factors which can affect promoting family planning among Fijian women.