Associations between the length of the first birth interval (in years) and mortality in 2004–2008 (ORs 95% CIs from discrete-time hazards models) and indicators of use of prescription medicine (coefficients and standard errors from OLS regression models) in 2004–2008, men and women born during 1935–1968 with two to four children
| Birth interval (years) | Per cent in category† | OR (95% CI) of mortality | Number of different medicines purchased | Number of diseases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||
| 0–1 | 10.8 | 1.14** (1.08 to 1.21) | 0.300** (0.029) | 0.141** (0.011) |
| 2 | 24.5 | 1.05** (1.00 to 1.10) | 0.073 (0.023) | 0.045** (0.009) |
| 3 | 24.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 15.8 | 0.95 (0.90 to 1.01) | −0.011 (0.026) | 0.017 (0.010) |
| 5–6 | 13.6 | 1.00 (0.95 to 1.06) | −0.012 (0.027) | 0.018 (0.010) |
| 7+ | 10.5 | 1.01 (0.95 to 1.08) | −0.026 (0.033) | 0.001 (0.013) |
| Women | ||||
| 0–1 | 11.1 | 1.07** (1.00 to 1.14) | 0.129** (0.034) | 0.092** (0.011) |
| 2 | 24.6 | 1.03 (0.97 to 1.09) | −0.004 (0.027) | 0.020** (0.009) |
| 3 | 24.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 15.8 | 0.95 (0.89 to 1.01) | 0.032 (0.030) | 0.013 (0.010) |
| 5–6 | 13.8 | 1.02 (0.95 to 1.11) | 0.050 (0.032) | 0.027** (0.010) |
| 7+ | 10.4 | 0.97 (0.90 to 1.04) | −0.121** (0.037) | −0.021 (0.012) |
Model includes: age, years of education, marital status, number of children, age at first birth and whether there has been a change of coparent since the preceding birth.
*p<0.05; **p<0.01.
†In the drug analysis.