The Long and the Short: Birth Interval Spacing among Women in the United States

Elizabeth H. Stephen, Georgetown University
Anjani Chandra, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Growth we examine birth spacing between women's first and second live birth deliveries. National health objectives are concerned with reducing the proportion of birth that occur within two years of a prior birth because these births are the most likely to have adverse perinatal outcomes, particularly among younger and less affluent mothers. We examine the prevalence of shorter birth intervals across the full range of mothers aged 15-44, and study associations of birth interval with social and demographic characteristics woman (educational status, income level, age at first birth, date of first birth, and race/ethnicity), and particular attention to marital disruption, fertility problems, intervening pregnancy loss.