Some problems in the use of open birth intervals as indicators of fertility change.

Abstract To measure changes in fertility brought about by specific family planning programmes has been one of the problems faced by demographers as well as policy-makers. This problem is particularly difficult in developing countries where the basic data are poor. Hence, there is a need to find indices of fertility that are easy to obtain, sensitive to changes in fertility and either not grossly affected by errors in data, or alternatively amenable to correction of data errors. Among many possible indices, the open live birth interval has attracted attention of many researchers and experts.(1).