Determinants of inter-conception interval among Southern Jordanian women

Objective: to determine which socio-demographic factors influence the inter-conception interval in southern jordan. methods: a cross sectional study on a sample of 307 jordanian women was performed. all women were interviewed using several questionnaires providing information on the socio-demographic characteristics,obstetric history and other health related data. anthropometric measurements as well as blood pressure were conducted on each case. results: the low standard of education and occupation of the husband and spouse,low monthly family income,an increased family size,and extended family type were all significantly associated with short inter-conception interval. attending health education programs on different aspects of maternal and child health care,using proper family planning method and breast feeding were significantly associated with increased length of inter-conception interval. conclusions: repeated pregnancies at short intervals are common in the southern region of jordan,and short inter-conception interval is a multi-dimension problem. among the suggested methods to prolong inter-conception interval include; increasing the literacy and employment rates of parents to upgrade their economic status,an in-depth health education and social mobilizations in various agencies are still needed to maximize the use of contraception methods,and improving the standards of exclusive breast-feeding practice. © 2015 dar publishers ? the university of jordan. all rights reserved.