Objective The main objective of this study is to fit Log logistic-Gamma shared frailty model for the determinant of time to age at first marriage among women in Ethiopia. Methods The data set in this study were obtained from Demography and Health survey conducted in Ethiopia in 2016. In this study, we used Log logistic-Gamma shared frailty model to account for the loss of independence that arises from the clustering of women in region of Ethiopia. A total of 12,066 women aged 15–49 in Ethiopia were included in this study. Results Of all 12,066 women aged 15–49, 9466 (78.45%) were married and the median & mean age at first marriage for women living in Ethiopia were 17.2 years and 17.5 years respectively, while the minimum and maximum age at first marriage observed were 8 years and 49 years respectively. Conclusion The most significant contributing factors to delaying time to age at first marriage of women aged 15–49 in Ethiopia were increased education level of women, increased education level of the head, increased income, residing in urban and being followers of religion other than orthodox, catholic, protestant & Muslim. The heterogeneity of age at first marriage for women aged 15–49 among regions in Ethiopia was observed. The government of Ethiopia and the concerned bodies should revise the women's health policy and practice to reduce early marriage and give attention to women; illiterate, live in rural areas, and have illiterate and poor heads.

No abstract

Background: The age at first birth corresponds to the age of the mother giving birth to the first child. The study aims at accessing the determinants of timing to age at first birth among Ethiopian women. Methods: The data for this study was extracted from the published reports of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The study used15, 683 women aged 15-49 years from nine regions and two city administrations. Cox Proportional hazards model was used for identifying factors associated with age at first birth. Results: The median time of age at first birth for Ethiopian women was22 years with 95% CI; (21.82, 22.18). Cox Proportional Hazards Model shows that region, place of residence, education, wealth index, religion, work status, age at first marriage, age at first sex, and use of contraceptives have significant effects on the age at first birth at 5% level of significance. From region category, Amhara region (p-value=0.398), Benishangul Gumuz(p-value=0.112) Region, and Gambella region(p-value=0.062) were not significant at 5% level of significance. Conclusions: The age at first birth was positively correlated with the age at first sexual inter course. A woman who has sexual intercourse much earlier gives birth earlier than a woman who is late for first intercourse.