bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential family formation in Great Britain
Authors: Murphy M. J.
Published: July 2008

Differentials in variables concerned with the timing, number, and distribution of fertility by a wide range of socioeconomic, attitudinal, inherited and housing characteristics from the British Family Formation Survey are reported. Variables associated with the couple's housing history and the wife's employment career are becoming more strongly associated with demographic differentials among younger cohorts than traditionally-based ones such as religion or region of residence. Cluster analysis techniques show which groups of family formation variables are strongly associated with particular types of non-demographic ones, and a natural grouping of explanatory variables is derived. The implications of these conclusions for data collection in demographic surveys are discussed.
Effects of education, distance and satellite clinics on the growth of genetic services
Authors: Wertelecki Wladimir , Huffstutler Joan , Superneau Duane , Burns Renea , Hoff Charles
Published: July 2008

The effect of educational activities, distance from a genetic centre, and presence of satellite clinics on the growth in genetic services in three regions served (south Alabama, west Florida and southeast Mississippi) was examined. Comparisons of growth trends between the three regions were made in the context of regional differences in clinical and educational variables. Multiple regression analyses of growth in clinical services with these variables were also performed. Results demonstrated that growth in clinical services is greatly enhanced when educational activities are offered in concert with the establishment of a satellite clinic.
Maternal deaths in medieval sweden: an osteological and life table analysis
Authors: Högberg Ulf , Iregren Elisabeth , Siven Claes-Henrik , Diener Lennart
Published: July 2008

In a medieval population of Stockholm only three cases of maternal deaths were proved out of 330 burials of adult females, and only in one of the cases was a contracted pelvis found. However, life table analysis indicates a shorter life expectancy of females in the reproductive ages. This suggests a higher maternal mortality in the Middle Ages than in the 18th and 19th centuries in Sweden.
Sociodemographic characteristics and intentions for further births in France
Authors: Laumon B. , Mamelle N. , Munoz F. , Measson A.
Published: July 2008

In the Lyon region of France, 356 couples of childbearing age were interviewed regarding their fertility intentions. Couples intending to have, and not to have, further children were compared. The former are less often skilled workers or qualified office staff, the woman is less likely to work, and the couple had their first child at a relatively late age. These differences are still present after adjustment for the couple's ages and number of children.
Union instability and fertility in three Caribbean societies
Authors: Wright Robert E. , Madan Ashok K.
Published: July 2008

This paper examines empirically the relationship between sexual union instability and fertility in three English-speaking Caribbean societies, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad/Tobago, using data collected in the World Fertility Survey Programme. An index of cumulative fertility, the duration ratio, that controls for the biological effects of age and age at first union is used as the dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis. The statistical findings are in general agreement with previous research that has found a positive association between fertility and the number of sexual unions in these societies. However, the estimated fertility effect of belonging to different union types (i.e. married, common-law and visiting) is not uniform across the three societies.
Infant and child mortality in Bangladesh
Authors: Amin Ruhul
Published: July 2008

Socioeconomic differences and trends in infant and child mortality in Bangladesh are examined using data from the 1975 World Fertility Survey and 1979 Contraceptive Prevalence Survey. There is evidence of some recent decline in infant and child mortality. Logit analysis of infant and child mortality indicates that sociodemographic variables such as mother's education, recent period, or higher birth orders, had significant independent effects upon the reduction of infant and child mortality. Other variables such as fetal loss, father's education, or land ownership had no consistent significant effect of upon infant and child mortality. On the other hand, the effect of urban residence on infant and child mortality was positive after the control of the sociodemographic variables. Mere concentration on the supply of modern medical services may bring limited returns unless they are reinforced by appropriate social changes, in particular those affecting the socioeconomic status of women.
Infant mortality in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gajanayake Indra
Published: July 2008

Infant mortality in Sri Lanka between 1961 and 1980 is studied with reference to its trend and associated factors. Between the periods 1961–65 and 1976–80 deaths from exogenous and endogenous causes have declined considerably and nearly equally. The probability of survival has increased most in the first week of life.

National income or total food supply does not seem to be associated with infant mortality. Distribution of free supplementary food, increase of public health personnel, of immunization, and of institutional births appear to have initiated and sustained the transition of infant mortality during the period. Increasing levels of female education probably augmented these effects.
Gallstones in a Danish population: familial occurrence and social factors
Authors: Jørgensen Torben
Published: July 2008

In a cross-sectional study of gallstone disease, ascertained by ultrasonography, the prevalence was assessed in relation to clinically diagnosed gallstones in first degree relatives by selected socioeconomic factors. In both sexes, clinically diagnosed gallstones among first degree relatives occurred significantly more frequently among subjects with than among those without gallstone disease. None of the socioeconomic variables was significantly associated with gallstone disease in females. In males gallstone disease was positively associated with longer school education, living alone, and duration of residence in the municipality of Copenhagen.
Birth Spacing in Pakistan
Authors: Sathar Zeba
Published: July 2008

Life table analysis is applied to data from the Pakistan Fertility Survey (1975) to examine the effects on birth spacing of a number of socioeconomic variables. Women of more modern backgrounds seem to space their families more closely, but differ little in achieved family size from the more traditional groups. Important factors are age at marriage, age at first birth, province of residence, and whether the woman had ever used contraception. Multivariate analysis taking into account interaction between variables shows that education, urban-rural residence, and province exert independent effects, and so does the cohort of the mother. But the variable with the strongest effect on length of interval, other than that from marriage to first birth, is duration of breast-feeding.
Female stress and birth seasonality in Tanzania
Authors: Bantje Han F. W.
Published: July 2008

Delivery records from Tanzanian hospitals reveal a marked seasonality of births in areas with holoendemic malaria. Accepted explanations of variations in conception rate are inadequate to account for these seasonal variations. The magnitude of the variation increases with higher parity but it has decreased over the past decade. The differences are related to different activity patterns of younger and older women, and to recent changes in the rural economy. Conception rate has a negative association with rainfall 4 months earlier; birth seasonality is therefore considered in relation to the agricultural cycle. While seasonal variations in sexual activity and pregnancy loss may be contributory factors, female stress due to the combination of malarial infection and physical exhaustion emerges as the major cause of seasonally depressed fecundity in areas with holoendemic malaria.
Sibling, family environment and ability correlates of adolescents' aspirations: ethnic group differences
Authors: Marjoribanks Kevin
Published: July 2008

Longitudinal data were used to examine relationships between sibling variables and adolescents' aspirations at different social status, family environment and ability levels in a sample of 260 Anglo-Australian, 120 Greek, and 90 Southern Italian families. In this follow-up study of an earlier investigation each family had a 16-year-old child and the analyses related to those adolescents. The study suggests that there are different relationships between birth order and educational and occupational aspirations for adolescents from different ethnic groups, even after taking into account the effect on aspirations of measures of ability and family environment.
Demographic characteristics and their genetic implications in a small island
Authors: Masaki Motofumi , Koizumi Akira
Published: July 2008

The family registration records from a village population in a small island of Japan are used to assess the effect of demographic differentiation within a population on genetic measures. When the couples studied are classified by birth cohorts and origins, wives of the couples where one spouse came from elsewhere were older at marriage and had a shorter duration of marriage or registration than wives where both spouses were natives of the village. The mean number of offspring is statistically smaller in the former except for the latest cohort, due mainly to out-migration during the reproductive ages which also resulted in low rates of marriage among the offspring within the village. This leads to a small effective population size and an increased likelihood of genetic drift in the overall population.
Parental consanguinity in two generations in Japan
Authors: Imaizumi Yoko
Published: July 2008

A survey of consanguineous marriages in Japan in couples and their parents was conducted in 1983 through questionnaires. The total number of couples studied was 9225; they were chosen from six widely different areas of the country. The kinship coefficient between parents did not decrease with the year of birth. Thus, the recent decline in the frequency of consanguineous marriages in Japan seems to be largely a post-World War II phenomenon. The kinship decreases with marital distance in the parental generation, and socioeconomic class (level of education and occupation) effects are small by comparison with those of the present generation. The rate of consanguinity is significantly higher in the older generation for almost all areas. The kinship between spouses is less than a half of that in parents for the whole of Japan. Geographical variation in the rate of consanguinity is more remarkable in spouses than parental couples.
Fertility trends in Singapore
Authors: Singh Kuldip , Viegas Osborn , Ratnam S. S.
Published: July 2008

A major cause for the disparity in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity between the developing world and industrialized nations is the uncontrolled population growth seen in the former, largely brought about by failure of authorities to realize the importance of fertility regulation. Some governments and international agencies have introduced family planning programmes which have had a striking effect on the health of mothers and children. This study traces demographic changes in Singapore in the context of legislation disincentives and incentives.
An investigation into proximate determinants responsible for fertility differentials between two rural Bangladeshi populations
Authors: Rahman Mizanur , Phillips James F.
Published: July 2008

The levels of fertility of two rural areas, Matlab and Teknaf, of different environmental and cultural settings of Balgladesh are markedly different. The proximate fertility determinants that may explain this difference are identified and their possible effect is examined.

Most of the variation of natural fertility is explained by the difference in breast-feeding practices of the two populations, median duration 30 months for Matlab and 22 months for Teknaf. This difference suggests that prolonged breast-feeding is as important a factor contributing to the relatively low fertility in Matlab as contraception. While the increase of contraceptive use in Matlab has greatly affected fertility, the concomitant contribution of prolonged lactational amenorrhoea is also important.
A survey of family planning in the Philippines
Authors: Riphagen F. E. , de la Cueva O. S. , Koelb S.
Published: July 2008

In a multi-centre survey in 1986, 400 married Filipino women aged 15–40 were interviewed about their use of contraceptive methods, and specifically about their perceptions of the effects on health of oral contraceptives and their attitudes to contraceptive methods. The sample was randomly selected in the urban and rural areas surveyed and cannot be considered representative for the country as a whole. The results showed that women hold definitive views on the health risks posed by oral contraceptives and point to the importance of family planning clinics as a source of contraceptive counselling. The overall rate of contraceptive use must be regarded as insufficient to meet contraceptive needs.
Sexual behaviour, contraceptive practice and knowledge of AIDS of Oxford University students
Authors: Turner Charlotte , Anderson Peter , Fitzpatrick Ray , Fowler Godfrey , Mayon-White Richard
Published: July 2008

In summer 1987, 584 students at Oxford University were sent a questionnaire enquiring about their sexual behaviour and contraceptive practice, and about the effect that AIDS has had on these. Of the 374 students who replied, 65% of the women and 62% of the men had experienced sexual intercourse. Twenty-seven per cent of female undergraduates did not use adequate contraception on the first occasion of intercourse. During the 4-week period preceding the questionnaire, 15% of sexually active female undergraduates did not use adequate contraception. The use of contraception has changed over the last 5 years, with fewer students using oral contraceptives as their most frequent means of contraception and more using barrier methods. In general, knowledge about AIDS was high. Most students did not consider that they were at risk of becoming infected by the AIDS virus and, by their reported sexual behaviour, very few students appeared to be at any risk. However, 35% of women and 44% of men who were sexually active said that because of risk of AIDS they had been more likely to use the sheath, and 49% of women and 30% of men said that they had, or would have, fewer partners. These findings suggest that attitudes, and possibly behaviour, are changing towards a reduction in risks of sexually transmitted infection.
Patterns of impairment and disability related to social handicap in young people with cerebral palsy and spina bifida
Authors: Hirst Michael
Published: July 2008

This paper explores the inter-relationships between impairment and disability in a sample of 119 teenagers in relation to their psychological adjustment and quality of social life. Poor psychological adjustment and extreme social isolation are associated not so much with individual functional limitations as with particular configurations of impairments and disabilities. It seems that social handicap is not a direct consequence of any impairment or disability but arises generally from severe functional loss and is shaped by dependency on others, restricted choices, physical barriers and adverse reactions of others.
Sociodemographic differentials in mortality during the 1974–75 famine in a rural area of Bangladesh
Authors: Razzaque Abdur
Published: July 2008

This study investigates the socio-demographic differentials in mortality during the 1974–75 famine in a rural area of Bangladesh. It is based on household socioeconomic information collected in the 1974 census and registration data on births, deaths and migrations for the period 1974–79 from the Demographic Surveillance System of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Ownership of selected household items was considered in the analysis as an indicator of household socioeconomic status. Mortality was 62% higher during the famine period and 31% higher during the post-famine period compared to the non-famine period. The mortality of both the poor and the rich increased during the famine period, by 117% and 28% respectively compared to the non-famine period. The poor suffered significantly in all age groups except 5–14 years, while the rich suffered only for ages 65 and over. Poor males suffered more than poor females except for ages 65 and over, while rich females suffered more than rich males except for ages under 1 year.
Contraceptive use patterns in Matlab, Bangladesh: insights from a 1984 survey
Authors: Khan Mehrab Ali , Smith Caroline , Akbar Jalaluddin , Koenig Michael A.
Published: July 2008

An experimental maternal and child health and family planning programme has been in existence in Matlab for almost 10 years. During this time the project has achieved remarkable success in the area of family planning. Based upon a 1984 survey, this study examines the pattern of contraceptive use in the Matlab treatment area, and contrasts it with the regular government programme in the neighbouring comparison area. Important differences between the two areas are observed, with the treatment area characterized by substantially higher levels of current contraceptive use, greater reliance upon temporary methods for birth spacing and, among acceptors of sterilization, more prior experimentation with other methods. In the comparison area lower rates of contraceptive use are observed, with heavy reliance upon tubectomy for limiting family size. The findings suggest that an intensive and innovative family planning programme in rural Bangladesh can achieve success not only in terms of contraceptive prevalence, but can also attract users interested in child spacing and others wanting to limit their family size, by offering the widest range of contraceptive methods.
Nuptiality and fertility in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Ebanks G. Edward , Loaiza Edilberto
Published: July 2008

Women in marital unions had more live births than those in consensual unions. The relationship between cumulative fertility and the number of fertile sexual unions is positive for the early childbearing years and negative for the later ones. There is no consistent pattern of relationship between fertility and the sociocultural independent variables for different subgroups according to nuptiality pattern. The relationship between fertility and nuptiality in the Dominican Republic is consistent with that for the Caribbean region.
Working status and stress of middle class women of Calcutta
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Susmita
Published: July 2008

In India an increase in female employment outside the home has occurred during the last few decades, especially in urban areas. A working woman may face difficulties in attempting to fulfil the demands of both worlds, at home and outside, while a housewife may feel tired and irritated with her household chores and financial dependence. All these may cause stress for these groups of women. The present study compares a group of working mothers with their non-working counterparts with respect to: (a) stress level, measured in terms of their anxiety score; and (b) certain general indicators of health including a broad measure of stress. The results show that anxiety and health scores of the two groups of women are similar. Further, the health score and anxiety score seem to be correlated, more clearly among the working mothers.
Fertility and child mortality in rural Ethiopia: Gondar and Hararge regions
Authors: Mengistu Genet
Published: July 2008

This paper presents fertility and child mortality estimates for agricultural households of the Gondar and Hararge regions, based on the 1981 Rural Demographic Survey. The study shows that fertility and child mortality are quite high in both regions as in the rest of the country. However, Hararge has significantly higher mean parity and child mortality than Gondar.
Determinants of cumulative fertility in Kenya
Authors: Agyei William K. A. , Mbamanya Joseph
Published: July 2008

This paper analyses the effects of age at first marriage, level of education, place of residence, marriage disruption, religion, contraceptive use, and work status on cumulative fertility in Kenya, using data from the 1977–78 Kenya Fertility Survey. Age at first marriage is the main determinant of cumulative fertility, but there are significant effects of level of education and marriage disruption. Place of residence is only significant for the Coast province. The implication of the findings is that to promote any real decline in fertility, emphasis should be placed on providing higher education and work opportunities for young women as an alternative to early marriage.
The consequences of heterogamy and homogamy on the similarity between spouses
Authors: Tomlinson Ian
Published: July 2008

Humans in many societies are known to mate, or marry, assortatively for a number of characters such as eye colour, height, IQ and place of birth. In this assortment an element of active choice may be involved. It is not known whether this choice is genetic. Two models of human mate choice are examined in which both males and females can express a mating preference. In the first, ‘sexual’ preferences can be expressed for any phenotype not necessarily one's own; in the second, preferences are only expressed for an individual's own phenotype. The results of the examination indicate how much active choice would be needed to account for the observed correlations between human mates, and suggest whether human mating preferences are more likely to be sexual or assorting.
Determinants of intrauterine growth retardation: evidence against maternal depletion
Authors: Miller Jane E.
Published: July 2008

This analysis examines the relationship between length of preceding birth interval and risk of intrauterine growth retardation using data on Swedish infants from the 1973 World Health Organization study of perinatal mortality. Results of a multivariate logit analysis demonstrate that the lower than average mean birth weight of infants born after short birth intervals cannot be completely attributed to their shorter mean gestation length. Infants born after birth intervals of 12 months or less are 30% more likely to be small for gestational age (SGA) than infants born 18–59 months after the previous birth, even when the effects of maternal age and parity are controlled. The results obtained here do not support maternal depletion as an explanation for the association between short birth intervals and elevated risk of SGA, since there is no evidence of an attenuation of the risk of SGA with increasing length of interval in the under 18 month birth interval range.
Life expectancy in less developed countries: socioeconomic development or public health?
Authors: Rogers Richard G. , Wofford Sharon
Published: July 2008

Various studies have enquired into the influence of socioeconomic development or public health measures on life expectancies in less developed countries. Analysis of the effect of these two groups of factors upon life expectancy, using data for 95 less developed countries, indicates that mortality is primarily influenced by such socioeconomic development measures as urbanization, industrialization, and education, and secondarily by such public health measures as access to safe water, physicians, and adequate nutrition.
Family planning programmes in ten developing countries: cost effectiveness by mode of service delivery
Authors: Huber Sallie Craig , Harvey Philip D.
Published: July 2008

The cost effectiveness of various modes of family planning service delivery based on the cost per couple-year of protection (CYP) is assessed using 1984 data for 63 projects in ten countries (three each in Africa and Asia, and four in Latin America). More than 4·8 million CYPs were provided through these projects during the year studied. Programmes with the highest volume of services delivered corresponded to lowest average costs: social marketing (2·8 million CYPs) and sterilization projects (960,000 CYPs) cost about $2 per CYP, on average; highest costs were for full service clinics and community-based distribution projects ($13–14 per CYP). Costs of clinics combined with community-based distribution services fell approximately midway between these two extremes.
Timing of first birth and second birth spacing in Canada
Authors: Rao K. Vaninadha , Balakrishnan T. R.
Published: July 2008

In Canadian society the influence of first birth timing on the subsequent birth interval has been eroded over time, as shown by the Canadian Fertility Survey of 1984. The influence of first birth timing is significant for second births among women married during the baby boom period, but not for those married thereafter. Religiosity, marital status, and place of residence are significant factors in second birth timing in Canada.
Malnutrition and child mortality: are socioeconomic factors important?
Authors: Bhuiya Abbas , Wojtyniak Bogdan , Karim Rezaul
Published: July 2008

The influences of household economic condition, maternal education, sex, and nutritional status of children on mortality were examined using multivariate analytical techniques. Weights of around 1700 children aged 2–60 months in five villages of Matlab, Bangladesh, were taken during the first half of 1981. The children were followed for 18 months and their survival was recorded. The severely malnourished children had a risk of death nine times that of their counterparts with better nutritional status. Female children had a higher risk of death than the males. Mother's education and economic condition of household also showed negative relationships with the risk of death, but the effect of mother's education was modified by economic condition and sex of the children.
Determinants of breast-feeding and post-partum amenorrhoea in Orissa
Authors: Srinivasan K. , Pathak K. B. , Pandey Arvind
Published: July 2008

A life table analysis is made of the duration of breast-feeding and postpartum amenorrhoea in Orissa, India, taking one variable at a time using data from a baseline survey of fertility and mortality (BSFM) conducted on the lines of the World Fertility Survey. Then a multivariate (proportional hazard) analysis showed that socioeconomic factors including residence, caste status and education influence the breast-feeding and post-partum amenorrhoea periods. There was no effect of maternal age on the length of breast-feeding, but mean length of post-partum amenorrhoea varied with age. The durations of breast-feeding and post-partum amen orrhoea are strongly related.
Contraceptive practice of Irish married and single first-time mothers
Authors: Greene Sheila M. , Joy Marie-Therese , Nugent J. K. , O'Mahony P.
Published: July 2008

This study surveys 100 married and 100 unmarried primiparous mothers, attending the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, with regard to their contraceptive practice, their planning of their pregnancy and the timing of their first antenatal visit. Nineteen per cent of the married women, but 64% of the unmarried women, had never used any contraceptive method. The contraceptive pill was the most popular method for both groups, but while three in five of the married women had at some time used the pill, only a little more than one in five of the unmarried women had ever used it. One quarter of the women who had used contraception reported that their pregnancy was the result of a failure in their contraceptive method. Eighty-nine per cent of the single group and 20% of the married had not planned their pregnancy. None of the married women, but almost a quarter of the single, delayed their first antenatal visit until after they were 20 weeks pregnant.
Who remains childless?
Authors: Kiernan Kathleen E.
Published: July 2008

Who are the men and women who are childless in their mid-30s? Life history data for a British cohort born in 1946 show that age at marriage and marital breakdown were clearly associated with childlessness. Women who were only children were more likely to be childless than those with siblings. Further, early menarcheal age, being highly qualified and having a high status occupation were indirectly related to childlessness. For men, particularly amongst those who had experienced a broken marriage, it was the most ambitious, the highly educated and those in professional occupations who were relatively more likely to be childless.
The intelligence of six-year-olds in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Jimmy , Lynn Richard
Published: July 2008

Evidence has accumulated to suggest that the mean IQs of Orientals in the United States and in the countries of the Pacific Basin are higher than those of Whites (Caucasoids) in the United States and Britain. This paper presents evidence from IQ tests on 4858 6-year-old Chinese children in Hong Kong. On the Coloured Progressive Matrices these children obtained a mean IQ of 116. Samples from Australia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Romania, the UK and the US obtain IQs in the range 95–102. It is suggested that these results pose difficulties for the environmentalist explanations commonly advanced to explain the low mean IQs obtained by some ethnic minorities in the United States.
Physical, achievement and personality characteristics of Chinese children
Authors: Falbo T. , Poston D. L. , Ji G. , Jiao S. , Jing Q. , Wang S. , Gu Q. , Yin H. , Liu Y.
Published: July 2008

The physical, achievement, and personality characteristics of Chinese schoolchildren are evaluated. The results of two surveys of Chinese schoolchildren, conducted in Beijing and Jilin Province, are presented. In the Beijing sample, the differences between only children and others were small but statistically significant, with the only children having higher scores in achievement and physical size. In the Jilin Province sample, the differences between only children and others were also small but significant. These differences were found entirely in physical characteristics, with only children being smaller, perhaps because the only children in the Jilin sample were much younger than the non-only children. Analyses of the combined sample of Beijing and Jilin schoolchildren indicated that the only-child advantages in achievement were found among children from urban families, not rural peasant families. While significant differences in height and weight were found in all three samples, none of the results indicated a significant difference in the proportion of body fat. None of the analyses indicated that only children had undesirable personalities, as judged by teachers and mothers.
The recovery of fertility during breast-feeding in Assiut, Egypt
Authors: Shaaban Mamdouh M. , Kennedy Kathy I. , Sayed Gamal H. , Ghaneimah Sharaf A. , Abdel-Aleem Aly M.
Published: July 2008

A longitudinal study of twenty-six breast-feeding and twelve non-breast-feeding postpartum women was conducted in Assiut, Egypt in order to determine the time that ovulation resumed after childbirth, and the effect of breast-feeding frequency on the period of lactational anovulation. Breastfeeding women experienced the onset of follicular development, vaginal bleeding, ovulation and pregnancy significantly later than women who did not breast-feed. Ovulatory and non-ovulatory breast-feeders reported similar frequencies of breast-feeding episodes. The introduction of dietary supplements commonly preceded ovulation. An algorithm using three simple variables observable to the breast-feeding mother was found to predict up to 100% of the first ovulations. All breast-feeding women who did not give supplements and did not have a vaginal bleeding episode by 6 months postpartum were anovular by strict criteria for ovulation. Ovulation did not precede bleeding or supplementation in the women who experienced these events before 6 months, yielding a highly effective formula for preventing unplanned pregnancy by the informed use of breast-feeding.
Changes in timing of fertility—a Canadian experience
Authors: Rajulton Fernando , Balakrishnan T. R. , Chen Jiajian
Published: July 2008

This paper examines the patterns of timing of births of women using data from the Canadian Fertility Survey of 1984. Semi-Markovian schemes are applied to the maternity histories of the 5315 sample women in their reproductive ages in order to measure the intensity and timing of childbearing. Age-and-duration-specific transition probabilities are found to have substantially changed for the more recent birth cohorts compared to the older cohorts.
Smoking and alcohol consumption by Flemish pregnant women, 1966–83
Authors: Lodewijckx E. , De Groof V.
Published: July 2008

Between 1966 and 1983 the percentage of women who smoked or consumed alcohol during pregnancy increased considerably. Tobacco use was negatively, and alcohol consumption positively, correlated with the mother's level of education. Markedly more adolescents than older women smoked during pregnancy. Beer, wine and liquor consumption were highest among older pregnant women. The majority of women did not alter their smoking and drinking behaviour during their successive pregnancies.
Demography of Muslims in Australia
Authors: Yusuf Farhat
Published: July 2008

This paper describes the origins and size of the Muslim population in Australia, at present about 1% of the total population. Their age distribution is younger and their sociodemographic characteristics are different from those of the rest of the Australian population.
Ethnic fertility differentials in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
Authors: Saw Swee-Hock
Published: July 2008

Differences in fertility between the three major ethnic groups (Malays, Chinese and Indians) in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore have existed since before the onset of fertility decline in the late 1950s and remain today, although the relative positions and the actual differences have changed due to the varying rates of decline. By 1987, the Malays experienced the highest fertility and the Chinese the lowest in both countries but in Singapore the Malay fertility was lower than the Chinese fertility in Peninsular Malaysia. The fertility differentials will lead to changes in the ethnic composition in both countries but more so in Peninsular Malaysia.
Seasonal variation in human births
Authors: James William H.
Published: July 2008

During the first half of this century, the seasonal pattern of births in European countries showed a major peak in the spring and a minor peak in the autumn. In contrast, the pattern in the US was of a minor peak in spring and a major peak in autumn. Over the last 20 years, the pattern in England and Wales has changed to resemble the US pattern, and the same seems to be true of several other European countries. A hypothesis is offered to account for the difference between the European and the US patterns and for the change from one to the other in some countries.

The magnitude of seasonality correlates positively with latitude: it is suggested that this is partially consequent on variation in luminosity.
Women's childhood experience of parental separation and their subsequent health and socioeconomic status in adulthood
Authors: Kuh Diana , Maclean Mavis
Published: July 2008

The long term consequences for women of parental divorce and separation in childhood are explored using data from a national, prospective, longitudinal survey. In comparison with women who suffered no parental loss, parental divorce is associated with lower educational attainment and occupational status, poorer mental health, higher alcohol consumption and higher rates of remarriage. Links with earlier signs of emotional disturbance and current levels of stress are explored.
The effect of initiation of child supplementation on resumption of post-partum menstruation
Authors: Jones Robert E.
Published: July 2008

The effects of initiation of solid and liquid supplementation on resumption of post-partum menstruation are examined, 0using data from a 2-year prospective study of birth interval dynamics from central Java, Indonesia. The sample analysed consisted of 444 women who experienced resumption of menses while breast-feeding, women who were breast-feeding and amenorrhoeic at the end of the study, or women who resumed menstruation or were censored after infant mortality and weaning which preceded the resumption of menses. Multivariate hazard model analysis was used to assess the significance of supplementation, various breast-feeding covariates, and age and parity of the dependent variable. Because the timing of supplementation varies, the supplementation variables were introduced into the analysis as time-varying covariates. For the mothers in the sample, solid and liquid supplementation was initiated at medians of 2·1 and 8·0 months respectively. The former had a significant effect on resumption of menses, while the latter was only marginally significant. Earlier supplementation meant shorter durations of amenorrhoea for the majority of women. However, the effect was not consistent across all categories of women. For the small group of mothers who were low intensity breast-feeders (≤6 minutes per nursing episode) or as low frequency day-time breast-feeders (≤6 nursing episodes per day-time), earlier supplementation had no additional effect on their rate of resumption of menses post-partum.
Recent evidence on trends and differentials in Bangladesh fertility
Authors: Amin R. , Becker S. , Chowdhury J.
Published: July 2008

Recent data from Bangladesh reveal evidence of some fertility decline. Although fertility increased among younger age groups between 1975 and 1983, it was offset by a decrease in fertility in the older age groups, resulting in a slight overall decrease in total fertility in 1983. Fertility was lower among urban residents, educated mothers and contraceptive users than among rural residents, uneducated mothers and contraceptive non-users, respectively, particularly in 1983.
Authors' Correction
Authors: Wielandt H. , Boldsen J.
Published: July 2008

Vol. 21, No. 2 (April 1989), pp. 169–177

AGE AT FIRST INTERCOURSE

Hanne Wielandt & Jesper Boldsen

In the first paragraph on page 174, Walløe (1978) was erroneously cited. The data analysed by Walløe were not incompletely known. Consequently, the estimated median ages at sexual debut are not spurious, as stated, since the whole sample was included in the denominator.

We sincerely regret this miscitation and offer our apologies to our distinguished Norwegian colleagues.
Size and Sociodemographic characteristics of the Afghan refugee population in Pakistan
Authors: Yusuf Farhat
Published: July 2008

Some recent data are presented on the size and selected sociodemographic characteristics of the Afghan refugee population in Pakistan. Although the official figures show that there were 3·27 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan, it is estimated that the actual number may be as high as 3·6 million. There is an excess of females over males, mainly due to war-related activities and excessive casualties particularly among males. While infant and childhood mortality rates are declining and are lower than the levels prevalent in Pakistan, as well as in Afghanistan during the prewar period, the fertility levels among Afghan refugees seem very high indeed.
Reproductive mortality and its relation to different methods of birth control
Authors: Högberg Ulf , Wall Stig
Published: July 2008

This report evaluates the decrease in maternal mortality and its relation to family planning methods in Sweden during the years 1911–80. In the 1930s fertility was low but illegal abortions were at a high level and the associated maternal death rate was 18·5 per 1000 women. With the legalization of abortion and the introduction of modern contraceptive methods, the crude reproductive mortality rate in 1965–70 was 1·7 per 100,000 women and this was reduced still further, especially for younger women, by the late 1970s. Standardized reproductive mortality was then 80% higher than the crude rate, indicating the importance of modern family planning methods. Mortality associated with oral contraceptive or IUD use in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s was lower than in England and the US. Mortality associated with sterilization was 6·2 per 100,000 procedures.
Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status, socioeconomic factors and mortality in hospitalized children in Addis Ababa
Authors: Groenewold W. G. F. , Tilahun M.
Published: July 2008

The influence of some household and maternal variables on three anthropometric nutritional status indices of hospitalized children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are examined. On admission, only 30% of these children can be classified as being of a normal overall nutritional status. There are no significant differences in weight-for-age of hospitalized children between those residing in Addis Ababa and those residing in the rural areas. Income and father's occupation appear to be the major household factors influencing the level of two of the three indices (weight-for-age and weight-for-height). Length of last closed birth interval and, to a lesser degree, maternal age appear to have significant effects on all three nutritional status indices. Upon admission to hospital, children who will in the end survive their hospital stay are on average nutritionally normal or in a mild state of malnutrition, whereas children who will die during their stay arrive in a moderate or severe state of malnutrition. The degree of malnutrition is positively related to the risk of mortality in respiratory disease patients.
Social class and human twinning
Authors: Bønnelykke Birgitte
Published: July 2008

In a comparative study to examine the effect of social factors on human twinning, data on sociodemographic and other factors were collected from parents of all twins born alive in Denmark in 1984 or 1985 and from a random sample of parents of singleton infants born in the same years. A postal questionnaire was used. The twins were classified as monozygotic (MZ) or dizygotic (DZ) twins by the similarity method. A trend was found in DZ-twinning, with significantly fewer DZ-twins born in the lower social classes, but not in MZ-twinning. All results were controlled for maternal age and parity.
Age at marriage in Sri Lanka: stabilizing or declining?
Authors: De Silva W. I.
Published: July 2008

Over the last four decades in Sri Lanka, age at first marriage for males increased marginally, and for females it rose considerably, but there has been no recent increase in female age at marriage. Among the younger cohorts, estimated ages at which some married indeed show a declining mean age at marriage. Coale-McNeil estimates indicate that there is no real decline in female age at marriage in Sri Lanka. Marriages were delayed as a result of economie hardship or increased mortality to the mid-1970s, but once the overall economy improved after 1977, more marriages took place. Female age at marriage in Sri Lanka remained slightly below 24 years, the age which is anticipated by younger cohorts, and this level is likely to persist for some time.
Constraints on weaning: evidence from Ethiopia and Sudan
Authors: Almedom Astier M. , de Waal Alexander
Published: July 2008

Evidence on infant weaning processes provided by field research in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and among a refugee population of Eritreans in the Sudan is presented. The study in Addis Ababa, where households were economically disadvantaged but the situation was nutritionally stable, allowed the identification of factors constraining weaning, which includes both the introduction of supplementary foods and the termination of breastfeeding. While the timing of each aspect of weaning was the outcome of the interaction between mother and infant factors, ‘infant-centred’ factors were more important in the commencement and ‘mother-centred’ factors in the completion of weaning. The refugee population had in normal times a similar weaning regime, but under the unstable conditions of flight and life in a refugee camp the process had been significantly altered. Investigation of the factors which have led to altered weaning processes elaborates and confirms the model derived from the Addis Ababa study.
Reproductive pattern in a rural Mediterranean population: La Alpujarra, Spain
Authors: Luna F. , Fuster V.
Published: July 2008

The reproductive pattern of a sample of nuclear families from La Alpujarra (Andalusia, Spain) is analysed. The origin of the wife or consanguinity of the couple does not influence fertility. Variability in number of pregnancies is most closely associated with marriage duration followed by the wife's year of birth. Differences in the number of births are explained more by the number of pregnancies than by the number of miscarriages. The number of survivors to the first birthday is dependent on the number of births and to a lower extent on infant mortality. Data from incomplete families show that reproductive performance of the wife below the age of 45 cannot be accepted as a reliable estimate of complete reproduction.
An evaluation of a national breast-feeding promotion programme in Honduras
Authors: Popkin Barry M. , Canahuati Judy , Bailey Patricia E. , O'Gara Chloe
Published: July 2008

A significant increase occurred in the initiation and duration of breast-feeding among Honduran women between 1981 and 1987. Changes in population characteristics (e.g. level of education of women) would be expected to lead to a decrease in breast-feeding at each infant age, but these were offset by behavioural changes that led to an increase in the likelihood of initiation and continuation of breast-feeding. An exploration of relevant factors suggests that the PROALMA breast-feeding promotion programme has had a profound effect on the breast-feeding behaviour of Honduran mothers.
An estimation of inbreeding from isonymy in the historical (1734–1810) population of the Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina)
Authors: Dipierri Jose Edgardo , Ocampo Susana B. , Russo Armando
Published: July 2008

The method of isonymy to estimate inbreeding is applied to the historical population of the Quebrada de Humahuaca (Province de Jujuy, Republic of Argentina). Data from the baptismal records of the Parochial Church of Humahuaca from 1734 to 1810 were grouped into two periods, 1734–72 and 1773–1810. The analysis was carried out twice: (a) using the surnames exactly as they were registered; (b) combining homonymous surnames which were pronounced or spelt in a similar way. The random and non-random components of inbreeding have been investigated through different methods. There were no significant differences between the results of the two analyses, nor between the expected and observed isonymy. The value of Flies somewhere between those for offspring of first cousins once removed and second cousins once removed. There is a tendency for F and its components to increase through time. It is concluded that the high altitude aboriginal population of Humahuaca Parish must have behaved as a panmictic unit.
Size at birth and some sociodemographic factors in gypsies in Hungary
Authors: Joubert Kálmán
Published: July 2008

In 10,108 babies born to gypsy parents, birth weight, birth length and gestational age are compared with a national reference sample, taking into account maternal education, age, and birth interval. The gypsy babies tend consistently to be smaller, and this difference is attributable to the circumstances in which the gypsies live as well as the poorer maternal education. There appears to be a vicious circle—poor hygiene and living conditions adversely affect birth size, which in turn puts the child at a disadvantage in terms of survival, health and development.
A reversal of fertility trends in Singapore
Authors: Singh Kuldip , Fong Yoke Fai , Ratnam S.S.
Published: July 2008

Free access to contraception and effective legislation measures, have resulted in a decline in fertility in Singapore. A new population policy of ‘three children or more if you can afford it’ was therefore introduced in 1986. This paper discusses the new population policies and measures their effect on fertility in Singapore.