Malawi 2015-16

Table 8.5 High-risk fertility behaviour
Percent distribution of children born in the 5 years before the survey by category of elevated risk of mortality
and the risk ratio, and percent distribution of currently married women by category of risk if they were to
conceive a child at the time of the survey, Malawi DHS 2015-16
Risk category
Births in the 5 years before
the survey
Percentage of
births
Risk ratio
Percentage of
currently married
women 1
Not in any high risk category 31.4 1.00 33.5 a
Unavoidable risk category
First order births between ages 18 and 34 18.3 1.30 5.0
In any avoidable high-risk category 50.2 1.46 61.6
Single high-risk category
Mother’s age 34 0.5 4.28 2.2
Birth interval 3 23.1 0.99 18.7
Subtotal 36.1 1.44 31.3
Multiple high-risk category
Age 3 10.0 1.19 18.9
Age >34 and birth interval 3 1.0 3.66 3.2
Birth interval 3 2.9 1.95 7.9
Subtotal 14.2 1.52 30.2
Total 100.0 na 100.0
Subtotals by individual avoidable high-risk
category
Mother’s age 34 11.5 1.55 24.3
Birth interval 3 37.1 1.19 48.6
Number of births/women 17,395 na 16,130
Notes: Risk ratio is the ratio of the proportion dead among births in a specific high-risk category to the proportion
dead among births not in any high-risk category. Ratios in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases.
An asterisk indicates that a ratio is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed.
na = Not applicable.
1
Women are assigned to risk categories according to the status they would have at the birth of a child if they
were to conceive at the time of the survey: current age less than 17 years and 3 months or older than 34 years
and 2 months, latest birth less than 15 months ago, or latest birth being of order 3 or higher.
2
Includes the category age 3.
a
Includes sterilised women.
118 • Infant and Child Mortality