Investigating Childbearing Desire and Associated Factors in Northeast Iran

Background: Considering the irreparable effects of decreased childbearing desire in Iran, the present study aimed to explore the state of childbearing desire and the associated factors in the northeast of Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional-analytical study was conducted on 807 married and unmarried men and women residing in Khorasan Razavi Province, using a multi-stage sampling method in 2023. The participants were divided into two desiring and undesiring groups according to their childbearing desires. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and two questionnaires on the reasons for childbearing desire: One for those likely to have children and another for those unlikely to have children in the future. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 26 using descriptive and inferential statistics. The significance level was set at 0.05.  Results: The mean age of participants was 36.45±9.24 years and the majority were female (78.8%). The results showed that 70% of participants did not desire to have children in the future. The main reason for childbearing desire was interest in children (71.9%), while another reason was the desire to have enough children (36.3%). The common reasons for the lack of desire for childbearing included already having enough children (43.7%) and concerns about their future (27.6%). The results of multiple logistic regression also showed significant relationships between marriage (OR=9.58, 95% CI, 4.38%, 20.94%, P 0.001), age and the number of children (OR=1.958, 95% CI, 1.61%, 2.37%, P 0.001) and childbearing desire. Conclusion: The present findings provide insights into the current state of Iranians’ childbearing desire and can serve as a valuable resource for policymakers in their planning efforts.