Analysis of Relationship between Lifestyle and Fertility Reduction (Case Study: Women 15-49 years old in Ahvaz)

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lifestyle and fertility reduction of families in Ahvaz. The sample size according to Cochran's formula is 384 people, which is classified by random sampling method and selected according to the size of the statistical population. The type of method used in this research is survey and a questionnaire was used to collect data. Its validity has been obtained by experienced professors in the relevant and final field based on the Cronbach's alpha test, which was above 0.70, which indicates the appropriate reliability of the questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, t-test and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze and analyze the data. The results show that there is a significant relationship between modern lifestyle variables (relationship intensity 0.7) and traditional lifestyle (relationship intensity 0.8) with female fertility; There is also a significant difference between the variable of leisure time, different lifestyles (modern, traditional, neither traditional nor modern) and the employment status of respondents with female fertility. Regression data show that these variables have explained 0.102% of the variance related to female fertility and also the highest effect of variables on fertility is related to the modern lifestyle variable (-1.108) which has a direct effect on the variable. It is independent and has the least effect on the leisure sports dimension (-0.079), which has a direct effect on fertility. Therefore, according to the obtained results, it can be said that lifestyle has affected the fertility rate of women.
 
Long Abstract
Introduction and Problem Statement
Today, fertility, as one of the three main pillars of population change, has become one of the demographic issues in Iran and is considered as the most important component of changing the age structure of the population. Birth rate is one of the two natural phenomena of population and a unique factor in its increase on a global scale. Today, declining fertility rates coupled with relative stability of mortality at low levels have slowed population growth. According to the differences between fertility and mortality from the government policies point of view, the phenomenon of fertility will play a greater role in population change in the future. Today, the city of Ahvaz is facing much lower fertility than replacement. This issue has occupied the minds of demographers as well as policy makers for several years and has caused them to pay more attention to demographic issues and fertility procedures. Concerns about its consequences, and in particular its effects on the general dynamics of the population, especially on aging, illustrate this issue well. The city of Ahvaz has adopted many of the prevailing lifestyles, values and behavioral norms in developed western countries in recent decades. Now, considering the importance of demographic changes in recent years and the impact of fertility on various factors, the present study intends to investigate the impact of lifestyle on fertility decline.
Methodology
This research is a quantitative and strategic survey based on descriptive and correlational procedures. The statistical analysis unit is the individual and the statistical population is all married women aged 15-49 in Ahvaz, which according to the census data of the city of Ahvaz in 2016, their number is 211921 people. To determine the sample size, based on the Cochran volume determination formula with a 5% error, a sample of 384 people was selected. Also, the sampling method of this research is classified sampling (urban areas are classified according to the level of enjoyment) in proportion to the size of the statistical population, which is one of the random sampling methods. Thus, the city of Ahvaz is classified into eight regions and a sample is selected from each region according to its population size. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Its validity was provided by experienced professors in the relevant field and its end was based on Cronbach's alpha test, which has a score above 0.70 and indicates the appropriate reliability of the questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, t-test and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
Research Findings
The results show that there is a significant relationship between modern lifestyle variables (relationship intensity 0.7) and traditional lifestyle (relationship intensity 0.8) with female fertility. There is also a significant difference between the variables of how to spend leisure time, different lifestyles (modern, traditional, neither traditional nor modern) and the employment status of respondents with female fertility. Regression data show that these variables explained 0.102% of the variance related to female fertility. Also, the greatest effect of variables on fertility is related to the modern lifestyle variable (1.108), which has a direct effect on the independent variable and he lowest effect is related to the leisure sports dimension (-0.079) which has a direct effect on fertility. Therefore, according to the obtained results, it can be said that lifestyle has affected the fertility rate of women.
 
 
Conclusion
In most countries of the world today, demographic policies have become an important part of development programs. These demographic policies are designed to avoid the consequences that the population issue can have on communities later on. Because today lifestyle has become a very key variable in many areas of human behavior and demographic policies with an emphasis on the musts and regardless of the existences will fail simply; therefore, in order to achieve these goals, it will be necessary for the authorities to pay serious attention to the results of such research, and their results can greatly help policy makers to achieve the goals of their population.
reference
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-     Kaveh Firouz, Zeinab; Zare, Bijan; Jahanbakhsh Ganjeh, Sadegh (2018), The Influence of Social and Cultural Capital Components on Attitudes toward Childbearing (Case Study: Couples on the Brink of Marriage in Tehran), Social Studies and Research in Iran, Volume 6, Issue 1. (in persian)
-     Khaje Nouri, Bijan; Mavasat, Ebrahim (2019), The Study of the Relationship between Lifestyle and Consumer Behavior (Case Study: Married Women in Shiraz), Journal of Women and Society. (in persian)
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