Levels and patterns of fertility from multiple sources in the Danfa project areas of Ghana.

This paper deals mainly with the estimation of levels and patterns of fertility in the Danfa Project areas of Ghana during the 1960s and 1970s. The measures of fertility computed include: average number of children ever born/mother; average number of children ever born/woman; age specific fertility rates; total fertility rates; age specific order of birth rates; crude birth rate; general fertility rates; and child woman ratio. Some of the differences between the survey data and data from the vital registration system in the 4 areas of the project are reviewed, as well as use of the Brass technique to analyze the data. In considering age patterns fertility indices, the paper discusses the differences between the central measure of fertility distribution such as the mean, median, the mode, variance and the standard deviation of fertility curve, as well as the degree of skewness and gradients of the curve at specified points using UN and Pavlik's models. In summarising the policy implications of the study and in taking into consideration the findings of stable population theory by A.J. Lotka, the authors conclude that population growth does not depend on the sole influence of the intensity of fertility; account must be taken of the mean age of childbearing and dispersion. In setting up a population policy for a developing country, attention must not only be directed at reducing the average number of children/mother but must also be given to increasing the mean age at marriage. Summary statistics are given in tables for the data from the Danfa Project including: percentage age distribution of women and mothers; average number of children per mother from survey and vital registration; percentage of those who become mothers by age group; age specific birth rates; measures of central tendency and dispersion for the age curves of fertility; age patterns of fertility schedules; age specific order rates for areas by parity; birth order rates; adjustment factors; indices of over reporting or underreporting of births; summary measures; estimates of recorded general fertility rate/1000 women; and age specific fertility rates and relative percentage age specific fertility survey.