Date of Award

4-2020

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Dr. Kathleen Baker

Second Advisor

Dr. Catherine Kothari

Third Advisor

Dr. Benjamin Ofori-Amoah

Keywords

Rapid repeat pregnancy, socio-economic, factors, patterns, Kalamazoo county

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) refers to a pregnancy that occurs less than 24 months after a live birth. In the United States, several studies have focused on factors that influence women to rapidly repeat pregnancies at the national and state level. As a result, this study explores spatial patterns in RRP in Kalamazoo County at the block group local level using birth records of moms in the county from 2008 to 2014. The study further investigates individual and neighborhood factors influencing RRP. Results from the hotspot (Getis Ord G*) revealed that block groups in eastside Kalamazoo township are significant hotspots for rapid repeat moms in the county. At the individual level, women who had their index birth as teenagers as well as moms that had spouse named on birth certificate and women of color were at higher odds of rapidly repeating pregnancies. At the block group neighborhood level, RRP moms lived in two main neighborhoods. However, moms living in neighborhoods with characteristics of higher population, more black women, women aged 20-24 and more renters are more associated with rapid repeat pregnancy in Kalamazoo County, MI.

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