A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Short Birth Interval on Infant Mortality in Ethiopia

Even though Ethiopia has been celebrating the achievements of MDG 4, still one in every 17 Ethiopian children dies before their first birthday. This is the biggest of the African regional average. Short birth interval is inconsistently reported as a risk factor by limited and independent studies in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the pooled effect size of the preceding birth interval length on infant mortality. test was used to assess heterogeneity. Funnel plot and statistical significance by Egger’s test of the intercept was used to check publication bias. The final estimate was determined in the form of odds ratio by applying Duval and Tweedie’s trim and fill analysis in the Random-effects model.=70%, P