Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the past three decades, Iran's fertility rate has declined sharply from 6.5 to 1.7, posing a critical demographic and public health challenge, a global trend that highlights the need to tackle multifaceted influences on childbearing intentions, including economic, social, emotional, and attitudinal factors.This study examined the factors influencing childbearing intentions among women. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed 450 reproductive-age women in Tabriz, Iran. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires to assess sociodemographic/obstetric characteristics, attitudes toward fertility/childbearing, subjective norms, marital satisfaction, perceived social support, childbearing/parental anxiety, and hope. Data were analyzed with SPSS v24 via descriptive statistics, chi-square/Fisher's exact tests, independent t-tests, and hierarchical multiple logistic regression to identify predictors of childbearing intention. RESULTS: Only 34.2% (95% CI: 29.8-38.8) of participants intended to have children. Adjusted logistic regression identified positive associations with childbearing intention for positive attitudes (OR = 1.113, 95% CI: 1.057-1.172), subjective norms (OR = 1.458, 95% CI: 1.292-1.646), social support (OR = 1.093, 95% CI: 1.020-1.172), hope (OR = 1.165, 95% CI: 1.043-1.172), and religious beliefs (OR = 12.789, 95% CI: 1.029-158.990); conversely, negative associations for pregnancy/childbirth anxiety (OR = 0.633, 95% CI: 0.422-0.949), age > 40 years (OR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.000-0.279), and poor financial status (OR = 0.007, 95% CI: 0.000-0.347). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the multifaceted economic, social, emotional, and attitudinal influences on childbearing intentions among Iranian women. To promote fertility rates, targeted public health strategies are recommended, including counseling for emotional barriers, economic supports like infertility subsidies and family incentives, and community-based education on reproductive health benefits.