Starting from the mid-twentieth century, Turkey has experienced a remarkable fertility decline. Total period fertility declined from the level of 6 or 7 to the almost replacement level by 2003. Similarly, in the 1950s onwards internal migration gathered speed and transformed Turkey from a predominantly rural country to a mainly urban one in less than half a century. Fertility and migration were mutually reinforcing processes in Turkey. Considering this relationship, the study aims to compare fertility behaviours of migrants with those of nonmigrants at both origin and destination areas. The data source is the 2003 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey. A nonparametric descriptive survival analysis technique, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, was employed. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of transition to first, second and subsequent births were compared by migration status. Survival curves of second and subsequent births for rural-to-urban and urban-to-rural migrant women are similar to the curves at the place of destination rather than place of origin. This result reveals that adaptation theory, rather than socialization theory, is more explanatory in the case of Turkey. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates showed that rural native and rural-to-rural migrant women experience all the events related with family formation earlier in their life cycle.

No abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study is to analyse the trends, determinants of prelacteal feeding (PLF) and its relations with the mode of delivery among infants <24 months over the years 2003–2018. Design: We pooled data from Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS). The key outcome variable was PLF. Factors associated with PLF were analysed by using complex sample multiple logistic regression analysis, separately and merged database. Setting: TDHS in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018. Participants: Mother–infant dyads (n 4942). Results: PLF rates fluctuated between 29·3 and 41·4 %. The most common types of PLF were infant formula (61·1 %) followed by sugar/glucose water (24·9 %) and plain water (9·3 %). PLF rate was 1·51 times higher (95 % CI 1·28, 1·78) in cases delivered by caesarean section as compared with those delivered by vaginal route. According to the initiation time of breast-feeding after delivery, the most significant absolute change in PLF rate was observed within 1 h (10·9 % increase). Delayed initiation of breast-feeding was associated with significantly higher odds of PLF compared with the first hour (1 to < 2 h: adjusted OR (AOR) 1·29, 95 % CI 1·04, 1·61; 2–23 h: AOR 1·73, 95 % CI 1·42, 2·11; ≥24 h: AOR 11·37, 95 % CI 8·81, 14·69). Conclusions: To eliminate suboptimal breast-feeding practices, counselling on breast-feeding and delivery type during antenatal visits, postnatal breast-feeding support and social support should be provided to all mothers and families.

We study the causal effect of maternal education on childhood immunization rates. We use the Compulsory Education Law of 1997, and the differentiation in its implementation across regions, as instruments for schooling of young mothers in Turkey. The Compulsory Education Law increased the compulsory years of schooling of those born after 1986 from 5 to 8 years. We find that education of mothers increases the probability of completing the full course of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus and Hepatitis B vaccinations for their children. The results are robust to variations in regression specification and including various individual and community variables.

No abstract