Work

Fertility knowledge, desire, and associated factors among Iranian couples: a cross-sectional study in Northwest Iran

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Childbearing is a cornerstone of sustainable development in both developed and developing countries, including Iran. The present study was conducted to determine the fertility Knowledge, desire and associated factors among Iranian couples in the northwest of Iran. This cross-sectional study is the first phase (quantitative phase) of a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research, which was conducted on 1,834 Iranian couples. The socio-demographic checklist, the Male and Female Fertility Knowledge Inventories (MFKI and FFKI), and the Fertility Desire Scale (FDS) were utilized for data collection. To examine the factors associated with the level of fertility knowledge and desire, an independent t-test or one-way ANOVA was used in bivariate analyses and the general linear model (GLM) was employed in multivariate analyses. According to the GLM, women under 30 years of age, with less than five years of marriage, holding a high school diploma or below, and those who were homemakers had significantly lower fertility knowledge scores compared to women aged 30 or above, with five or more years of marriage, higher education, and employee. Among men, those with a high school diploma or below and those dissatisfied with their marital life also showed significantly lower fertility knowledge scores compared to men with higher education and those satisfied with their marriages. Furthermore, both women and men who married before the age of 30 and those dissatisfied with their marital life had significantly lower fertility desire scores compared to their counterparts who married at or after 30 and reported marital satisfaction. Women and men with less than five years of marriage, women with a high school diploma, men with less than a high school diploma, and those with inadequate or relatively inadequate income showed significantly higher fertility desire scores compared to those with five or more years of marriage, university education, and completely adequate income. The findings of this study showed that the fertility knowledge and desire among Iranian couples were linked to their demographic and social characteristics. Childbearing is a significant phenomenon in demographic movements. Given the crucial role of intrinsic factors such as knowledge and desire regarding childbearing, identifying the associated factors provides a valuable foundation for designing interventions to improve the current situation. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the fertility Knowledge and desire of Iranian couples and to identify the factors associated with it in the northwest of Iran (health centers in Tabriz, Urmia, and Ardabil). A sample size of 1834 Iranian couples (917 women and their 917 spouses) was used to determine the factors associated with fertility knowledge and desire. The required data was collected by distributing socio-demographic checklist, the Male and Female Fertility Knowledge Inventories (MFKI and FFKI), and the Fertility Desire Scale (FDS). A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to determine the factors associated with fertility knowledge and desire. The findings of the present study indicated that factors such as age, duration of marriage, education level, and occupation are related to women’s knowledge. Additionally, factors such as education level and marital satisfaction have a significant relationship with men’s knowledge. The fertility desire among Iranian couples is also associated with factors such as age at marriage, duration of marriage, education level, marital satisfaction, and income level. Given that infertility and reluctance toward childbearing remain global public health concerns, imposing high costs on healthcare systems and individuals, it seems that identifying underlying factors—such as couples’ knowledge and desire for childbearing—and recognizing associated factors influences could assist policymakers.

Source: BMC Public Health

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22347-6

Authors: Sepideh Mashayekh-Amiri, Behnam Molaie, Fatemeh Aliasghari, Fatemeh Rashidi, Elnaz Hemati, Mojgan Mirghafourvand