An Analysis of Unwanted Births in Bangladesh: A Major Public Health Concern

Background: In Bangladesh, on average, a woman has 2.3 births, with around 30% of them being undesired. For the well-being of families and the regulation of population growth, it is crucial to reduce unwanted births. In-depth study of the variables influencing the shift in unplanned childbearing is necessary for this decrease. This research looks at how population structure, outside influences including family planning programs, and their interactions affected the percentage of women who gave birth unintentionally between 2007 and 2017, as well as between 2014 and 2017.

Methods: The idea of standardization is used in this research to compare the impact of family planning programs and non-program variables on unintended pregnancies. We use the aggregate and detailed three-fold decomposition techniques to break down variations in the percentage of undesired births into the contributions of the three main causes using data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. We use logistic regression estimates to break out the changes.

Results: 15.4% of women in 2007 gave birth unintentionally. This proportion slightly rises to 15.6 in 2011 and falls by 12.8 percent from that year to 2014, a three-year span. In 2017, this proportion dropped even further, to 10.4, a 23.8 percent decrease from 2014. The estimated absolute changes (i.e., total effects) in the proportion of women having unwanted birth from 2007 to 2011, 2011 to 2014 and 2014 to 2017 are, respectively, 0.002 (or 0.2 percentage points), -0.020 (or -2 percentage points), and -0.032, according to the aggregate decomposition analysis results (or -3.2 percentage points). While changes in that percentage over the other two decades are determined to be statistically significant, the change in that proportion from 2007 to 2011 is found to be statistically non-significant.

Conclusions: In Bangladesh, a considerable reduction in population structure combined with family planning initiatives that are not diminishing lowers the percentage of unintended pregnancies, whereas simultaneous reductions in population structure and initiatives produce a more dramatic decrease.