Family health survey says 95% of women know about HIV/AIDS
by Khetam Malkawi | Mar 27, 2013

AMMAN — The fertility rate saw a 50 per cent drop in Jordan between the years 1976 and 2012, according to a nationwide survey announced on Wednesday.

The Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) for the year 2012 showed that the fertility rate per Jordanian woman dropped from 7.6 children in 1976 to 3.5 children per woman in 2012.

The survey, conducted by the Department of Statistics (DoS) and funded by the government, USAID, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF, found that the highest fertility rate in 2012 was in Jerash with 4.3 children per woman, followed by both Mafraq and Maan with 4.1 fertility rates.

The lowest fertility rate, according to the JPFHS, was in Amman, with 3.2 children per woman, followed by Karak and Madaba with 3.5 children per woman.

The survey, which covered a sample of 16,120 households from across the country (15,190 households were successfully interviewed), showed that 51 per cent of married women do not want to deliver more children, while 23 per cent want another child after two years.

Eighteen per cent of married women want a child within two years, 3 per cent were undecided on desires or timing and the same rate were infertile, while 2 per cent were sterilised.

As for the use of contraception and fertility preferences, the survey found that 61 per cent of currently married women in Jordan are using a family planning method: 42 per cent are using modern contraceptive methods and 19 per cent use traditional methods.

DoS Director General Fathi Nsour said the survey is aimed at providing reliable estimates of demographic parameters, such as fertility, mortality, family planning, and maternal health, that can be used by policy makers to evaluate and improve existing programmes.

The 2012 JPFHS showed that 99 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have heard of HIV/AIDS.

The total level of knowledge of AIDS across all categories of background characteristics of women was also “remarkably high” (95 per cent or higher), the study said.

Infant and child mortality

The survey indicated that the mortality rate of children under five years old in Jordan in 2008-2012 is 21 deaths per 100,000 births, compared with 20 deaths per 100,000 births in 2003-2007 and 34 deaths per 100,000 births in circa 1998-2002.

Child mortality (the probability of dying between the first and fifth birthday) rate is 4 deaths per 100,000 births.

Infant mortality rate (the probability of dying before the first birthday) was 17 deaths per 100,000 births in 2012.

The neonatal mortality rate (the probability of dying within the first months of life) for 2012 is 14 deaths per 100,000 births, while the postneonatal mortality rate (the difference between infant and neonatal mortality) is 4 deaths per 100,000 births.

Maternal Care

The survey findings indicated that in Jordan, antenatal care is almost universal, as 99 per cent of women received care from a health professional during the pregnancies for their most recent births in the five years preceding the survey.

It also showed that more than eight in ten women receive postnatal care within two days after delivery.

Immunisation and child health

According to the survey 93 per cent of children in the age brackets (12-23 months) have received all of the recommended vaccinations in Jordan.

As for breastfeeding, the JPFHS 2012 collected data on infant feeding for all children born in the five years preceding the survey.

The data showed that only 23 per cent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their children during the first six months of life.

Among infants 5 months old and less, 13 per cent are not breastfeeding, 9 per cent are given water along with breast milk, 5 per cent are breastfeeding and consuming non-milk liquids, 37 per cent are breastfeeding and consuming other milk as well, and 14 per cent are breastfeeding and consuming solid or mushy food prematurely.

Anaemia

Anaemia, which is a condition characterised by a low level of haemoglobin in the blood, is common among children in Jordan, according to the survey, which showed that almost one-third of children are anaemic (32 per cent).

Almost 20 per cent of all children have mild anaemia, and 12 per cent have moderate anaemia.

Anaemia is also common among women in Jordan; one-third of all women are anaemic (34 per cent). Most of them have mild anaemia (26 per cent of all women), while 7 per cent of women are classified as having moderate anaemia and only a minor fraction have severe anaemia.

http://jordantimes.com/kingdoms-fertility-rate-dropped-50-since-1976—-study