bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contraceptive experience and attitudes to motherhood of teenage mothers
Authors: Ineichen Bernard 
Published: July 2008

SummarySexual experience is increasingly common among teenagers. Evidence suggests that while many teenage pregnancies are unintended, teenagers remain less than totally effective users of contraception. Among a sample of 102 teenage mothers, only two-thirds had ever used contraception, although only a quarter of the pregnancies were planned. About half of the teenagers were upset on hearing the initial news of the pregnancy; half of these had been using the pill, which in many cases had been given up without another form of contraception substituted. These girls present a formidable challenge to providers of contraceptive services, especially in view of the restricted opportunities available to working-class girls.
Breast-feeding in Bangladesh
Authors: Ahamed M. Mohiuddin 
Published: July 2008

SummaryIn data from the Bangladesh Fertility Survey on 4998 live births, the mean duration of breast-feeding in Bangladesh was 27·3 months. Duration of breast-feeding was positively related with the age of women. Female children were breast-fed for periods about 5 months shorter than for male children. Children born to urban mothers of all age groups were breast-fed for shorter durations than children born to rural mothers of all age groups. The duration of breast-feeding decreased with the increase of education of mother.
Role of the environment in the decline of infant mortality: an analysis of the 1911 Census of England and Wales
Authors: Watterson Patricia A. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis study tests the proposition that the contribution of environmental factors to the reduction of infant mortality early in the twentieth century was greater than that made by the alleviation of poverty. The estimates were obtained from retrospective reports of women enumerated at the 1911 Census, and covered the period from approximately 1895 to 1910. Infant mortality by father's occupation underwent an average decline of 35% from a peak infant mortality rate (IMR) of 132, with wide variation. The removal of poor (usually urban) residential conditions was probably associated with the decline, but, except at the extremes, income did not explain the differences. In the 97 great towns, the subject of this study, where the average decline in IMR was also 35% from a peak of 146, the rate of urbanization over 20 years accounted for a significant proportion of the differential decline, and measures of poverty added little to the explanation. This conclusion survived multivariate analysis using urban development and poverty level as explanatory variables, and controlling for fertility decline and selective migration.
Modernization and consanguineous marriage in Beirut
Authors: Khlat Myriam , Halabi Suzan 
Published: July 2008

SummaryRecent data do not demonstrate any trend away from consanguineous marriages in the urban Middle East. The continued observance of this preferential custom may correspond to the persistence of an archaic trait among urban dwellers; if this holds true, then one would expect consanguineous couples to conform more to the traditional family pattern than others. In order to test this hypothesis, 100 women married to a relative and 100 matched controls, selected from a hospital setting in Beirut, were interviewed with respect to their household type (nuclear/extended), residential pattern (proximity of parents and parents-in-law's residence to theirs), contacts with family and sex definitions. A substantial proportion of the respondents comply with the traditional norms prevalent in the Middle East (25–55%, according to the criterion), but no difference is detectable between cases and controls in this respect.
Recent secular trends in dizygotic twinning rates in Europe
Authors: James William H. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryIn all European countries for which data exist, there was a maternal-age-specific decline in dizygotic twinning rates during the 1960s. For most of these countries, this decline continued through the 1970s, but in a few it apparently ceased. The causes of the declines and of their abatement are unknown. However, there were declines in sperm quality during the 1960s and 1970s in some parts of the world, including parts of Europe, and it is speculated here that this decline in sperm quality may be related to the decline in dizygotic twinning.
Maternal characteristics and the distribution of birthweight standardized for gestational age
Authors: Pickering R. M. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryUsing routinely collected data for 184,000 Scottish singleton live births in 1980–82, nine maternal factors were related to changes in the distribution of birthweight for given gestational age. Maternal height and marital status were associated with overall shifts in the distribution. In contrast, social class, a previous perinatal death or two or more previous spontaneous abortions in multiparae were primarily associated with increased risk of a small-for-gestational-age infant. A history of caesarean section or three or more previous live births was associated with increased risk of a large-for-gestational-age infant. The results of this population study were generally consistent with reported hospital-based findings.
Biosocial behaviour cycles: a field study in an east indian village community
Authors: Gast Barbara , Meier-Koll Alfred 
Published: July 2008

SummaryMany physiological functions of the human body as well as human behaviour are regulated by endogenous rhythms. While circadian rhythms with periods of about 24 hr serve to adjust body functions and patterns of behaviour to the geophysical day/night cycle, intrinsic rhythms with shorter periods, called ultradian cycles, subdivide the 24-hr interval. For example, motor activity, perception and cognitive style are influenced by an intrinsic cycle of about 1½ hr. Despite numerous laboratory studies, the functions of ultradian rhythms are as yet unknown. In this field study, endogenous short-term cycles were observed in the daily behavioural patterns of illiterate individuals living without artificial time-cues in a small East Indian village community. Time series analysis of the result provides additional evidence that behavioural patterns of adults as well as infants and children living under natural conditions may be regulated by intrinsic rhythms with period intervals of 1–3 hr. Furthermore ultradian behaviour cycles in single subjects can be synchronized within a common time-frame. This suggests that intrinsic ultradian cycles may serve to organize daily behaviour patterns for optimal co-ordination and satisfaction of individual and common demands.
Contraceptive choice in an urban clinic in nigeria
Authors: Ogedengbe O. K. , Giwa-Osagie O. F. , Ola R. , Fasan M. O. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryContraceptive choice in the first 1075 acceptors at an urban clinic in Lagos has been studied. An IUD was the most popular choice followed by the injectable contraceptive and the pill. Interval tubal ligation was chosen by some patients. Acceptors of injectables were older women of high parity and lower educational standard while pill acceptors were of lower parity and higher educational level. The IUD was acceptable to all ages and parities except those with only one child or none.Loss to follow-up and the wish to plan another pregnancy were the commonest reasons for discontinuing contraception. Medical reasons for discontinuing the IUD were pain, menstrual disorder, accidental pregnancy and expulsion/perforation, and for discontinuing injectables the reasons were menstrual disorder, accidental pregnancy and raised blood pressure.
Husband–wife similarities in different components of the WAIS IQ test
Authors: Mascie-Taylor C. G. N. , Harrison G. A. , Hiorns R. W. , Gibson J. B. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryExamination of 150 husband–wife pairs from the Otmoor villages of Oxfordshire for levels of similarity in their performance of seven subtests of the WAIS IQ test showed significant positive correlation in five subtests but not in digit span or digit symbol. In no test was there any relation between level of spouse similarity and length of marriage. Scores were varyingly associated with several factors known to be related to total IQ, such as social class and nature of education. When the effects of these factors on IQ variation were removed statistically most of the spouse similarity disappeared. However there remained a significant residual similarity in vocabulary performance and some suggestion of one in similarities and block design.
Parental characteristics and partner choice: some evidence for Oedipal imprinting
Authors: Wilson Glenn D. , Barrett Paul T. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryDo girls fall in love with an image of their father? This study tested the hypothesis that, in choosing a partner, people tend to replicate the physical and mental attributes of their opposite-sex parent more than of the same-sex parent. A sample of 314 women, mostly in their late teens and describing themselves as ‘in love’, supplied details of their boyfriends and parents. A tendency for the boyfriend's eye colour to match that of the father more than of the mother was found, as well as a tendency for girls to replicate the age and dominance relationships of the parental partnership in their own relationship. These effects were very small and of marginal significance.
Modernization and childlessness among the governorates of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 1976
Authors: Poston Dudley L. , El-Badry Samia M. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis paper examines the degree to which childlessness is influenced by levels of modernization among the governorates of the Arab Republic of Egypt. In 1976, the higher the levels of modernization, the lower the rates of childlessness among women aged 30 and over, and the higher the rates of childlessness among women aged 20–30. The implications of these results for fertility and development are discussed.
Marital relationships in couples seeking donor insemination
Authors: Humphrey Michael , Humphrey Heather 
Published: July 2008

SummaryFindings are reported on 100 couples who had requested donor insemination as a means of circumventing male infertility. Twelve couples dropped out, but the remainder were graded for personal acceptability. Forty-six couples were recommended with only minor reservations if any, 40 were seen as unsatisfactory in varying degree, and two were rejected owing to gross marital and sexual problems. In one couple, early marital breakdown after childbirth occurred.A strong sense of mutual commitment may be the norm in such couples but exchange of affection between partners, as measured by the Ryle marital patterns test, was less vivid than in an earlier study of childless couples waiting to adopt. The infertile husband may be in particular need of emotional support from his wife, and a careful appraisal of the marriage seems warranted before treatment.
Son preference in Bangladesh: an emerging barrier to fertility regulation
Authors: Amin Ruhul , Mariam A.G. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis study investigates the effect of son preference on contraceptive use and desire for additional children using national level survey data from Bangladesh for the years 1969 and 1979. Son preference had a negative effect on contraceptive use and a positive effect on the desire for additional children regardless of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. This adverse effect of son preference on fertility regulation seemed to have persisted over the years. Relevant socioeconomic conditions in Bangladesh are described.
Household extension and reproductive behaviour in Taiwan
Authors: Stokes C. Shannon , LeClere Felicia B. , Hsieh Yeu-Sheng 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThe influence of household type on reproductive behaviour is examined for a national probability sample of Taiwanese women. In spite of remarkable social and economic development over the past three decades, extended families are still widely found in Taiwan. Women in extended households have only slightly higher fertility preferences and current fertility than women in nuclear families once marital duration is controlled. Although women in extended households marry earlier and receive more family help with child care than women in nuclear households, such factors are no longer sufficient to produce major differentials in reproductive behaviour. The findings suggest that preferences for smaller families and low fertility need not await a transformation to a nuclear family structure.
Variation of the human secondary sex ratio and lethal recessive X-linked mutations
Authors: Astolfi P. , Zei G. 
Published: July 2008

SummarySex ratio at birth was studied in relation to grandparental age, to enquire into the effect of the accumulation of X-linked recessive lethal mutations. From the data of the tenth census of the Italian population two samples of women having a live-born only child were examined: the first from some provinces of northern and central Italy, the second from the island of Sardinia.Besides maternal grandfather's and grandmother's ages, the mother's age and some socioeconomic factors such as the woman's educational level, her urbanization index and time were included in a multiple regression analysis model. In both areas the results show a significant decrease of the sex ratio as grandpaternal age increases, a weaker effect of grandmaternal age, and a strong decrease when maternal age increases; this last effect is probably due to physiological factors, in addition to the genetic ones.Differences between the partial regression coefficients of the two areas, though not significant, reflect the different socioeconomic and cultural conditions, which affect the sex ratio. From the partial regression coefficients on the grandpaternal age an estimate of the mutation rate was obtained.
Factors affecting acceptability of long-acting contraceptive injections in a rural Egyptian Community
Authors: Younis M. N. , Nadeem N. El Messeri , Salem H. I. , Hamed A. F. , Ahmed A. , El-Masry G. , Hamza A. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis study was carried out in four adjacent villages in Lower Egypt with a combined population of 24,000. A team of social workers and physicians worked together to introduce the injectable contraceptive depomedroxyprogesterone acetate as a post-partum long-acting contraceptive to the community leaders and the villagers at several meetings. Postpartum women who agreed to use the drug were defined as acceptors (591) and those who did not were defined as rejectors (715). The incidence of polygamy was higher among the rejectors, and rejectors' husbands had more children from their other wives. Acceptors had more previous pregnancies and children of both sexes than rejectors. The interval between the last two pregnancies was shorter among the rejectors. A greater percentage of acceptors had previously used another contraceptive. The commonest reasons for rejection were desire for further pregnancy (69%), health problems (11%) and desire for another method of contraception (8%). Religious factors figured in only 3% of cases.
Geographical mobility and IQ components
Authors: Macbeth H. M. , Harrison G. A. , Gibson J. B. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryIn relation to two measures of the mobility involved in the migration histories of individuals now resident in the Otmoor villages of Oxfordshire, selectivity for components of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is clearly demonstrated. However, this selectivity is reconsidered in the light of other covariates of mobility, where these also relate to IQ, for example, some measures of temporal and socioeconomic variation. When correction is made for these, the frequency of highly significant correlations is greatly reduced, suggesting that much of the selectivity operates within the associations between mobility, IQ, and the confounding temporal and socioeconomic variables. There remains, even after removal of the effects of age, class and occupation-type, a pattern of significant association between some components of verbal IQ and the measures of mobility.
Breast-feeding pattern in an urban Nigerian community
Authors: Oni Gbolahan A. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThe paper examines the pattern of breast-feeding among women still in their prime childbearing ages (15–35 years) in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara state in Nigeria. While breast-feeding is still a common practice among urban women, there is wide variation in the duration of breast-feeding depending on the socioeconomic characteristics of the mothers. Mother's education and father's education have very strong negative associations with duration of breast-feeding. Use of contraception also has a significant independent but negative effect on breast-feeding duration. Christians continue breast-feeding for shorter periods than Muslims. The introduction of supplementary feeding to the infant occurs in this population much earlier than is recommended by various authorities. The dangers inherent in this pattern of infant feeding are discussed.
Acceptance of genetic services: a study of physicians in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayasekara Rohan , Kristl Gina Barrett , Wertelecki Wladimir 
Published: July 2008

SummaryA survey of 302 physicians from Colombo, Sri Lanka, reveals a strong overall acceptance of genetic counselling, prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders and therapeutic abortion. Demographic and experiential factors, especially being older and having children, were associated with acceptance of genetic services. There was little support for prenatal diagnosis in order to satisfy curiosity about the sex of the fetus. The results of this analysis were compared to those from a study of physicians in Arizona, USA.
The laws of Taharat HaMishpacha: potential effects on fertility
Authors: Gardin Susan K. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThe laws observed among Orthodox Jews regulating coital activity according to menstrual cycle phase (the laws of Taharat HaMishpacha), in a population that generally does not use contraception, have potentially important effects on fertility. Analysis of these effects based on menstrual cycle and ovulatory phase lengths for women in the childbearing years shows that the majority of cycles are potentially exposed to coital activity during a fertile period and the increased likelihood of coitus following abstinence has potentially fertility-enhancing effects. For the individual woman with a predominance of short cycles, delays in conception are probable.
Breast-feeding practice in Norway 1860–1984
Authors: Liestøl Knut , Rosenberg Margit , Walløe Lars 
Published: July 2008

SummaryData from birth records with information on previously born children from three maternity hospitals in Norway have been used to study the trend in breast-feeding practice from 1860 to 1984. During the whole period, the percentage of women breast-feeding for at least 1 week was remarkably high, above 90%. The results show a fairly stable duration of breast-feeding up until 1920, at least 3 months in approximately 80% of the women. After that year, the distribution of the duration of breast-feeding changed dramatically. The shortest durations were found in the late 1960s, when only about 30% lactated for 3 months or more. The duration then increased quickly, so that at the beginning of the 1980s about 80% of the women were again breast-feeding for at least 3 months.By multiple regression methods, the relationships of several independent variables to the duration of breast-feeding were investigated. Married women lactated for 1·5–3 months longer than unmarried, the difference being largest before 1920. First-born children were breast-fed for a little shorter time than second and later-born children. Until World War II women of lowest social strata had the longest durations of breast-feeding, and then the situation was reversed, women of highest social strata continuing the longest.
Community-level determinants of infant mortality in Mexico
Authors: Holian John 
Published: July 2008

SummaryData from pregnancy histories collected by the 1976–77 Mexican Fertility Survey show wide variations in infant mortality among a sample of 125 communities. There are also large infant mortality differentials by population size, economic status, access variables, utilities, medical facilities and schools. These community-level factors, which have been little used in previous studies, are highly correlated and do not appear to affect infant survival independently of population size. As such, community size serves as a summary measure of a locality's overall level of development and comparative risk of early death for its young inhabitants.
Familial aggregation of consanguineous marriages in Japan
Authors: Imaizumi Yoko 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThe distribution of consanguineous marriages among spouses and husband's and wife's parents, was analysed using data on 9225 families in six widely different areas of Japan. With two exceptions, the consanguinity rates for husband's and wife's parents are higher in related spouses than in unrelated spouses. The familial aggregation of consanguinity was slightly decreased in more recent marriages, a change which began recently with couples who have abandoned the more traditional Japanese way of life.
Contraception in women over forty
Authors: Riphagen F. E. , Fortney J. A. , Koelb S. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryContraception in women over the age of 40 has received little attention, and accurate data are not readily available. This paper compares data from surveys from the United States and five major countries in Western Europe. Consideration is given to the possible effect on these women of the threat of reduced availability of suitable contraceptive methods as a result of current developments within society at large. This is of particular importance as it appears that, especially in Western Europe, contraception is underutilized in this age group. The benefits and risks of various methods of contraception are discussed. Use of the pill by older women remains controversial. Misconceptions about pill use and the IUD seem to be widespread among women of all ages.
Compensatory payments and vasectomy acceptance in urban Sri Lanka
Authors: de Silva V. , Thapa S. , Wilkens L. R. , Farr M. G. , Jayasinghe K. , McMahan J. E. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis paper examines the effects of different levels of payment on the acceptance of vasectomy in urban Sri Lanka. Data from 496 vasectomized men are analysed by socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, post-operative problems encountered and attitudes towards vasectomy by amount of payment. The findings show that higher levels of payments have significantly enhanced the adoption of vasectomy, particularly among the low economic status group. The time of vasectomy in relation to the youngest child's age was influenced by the payment scheme. Higher monetary payments have not induced men to become sterilized who would be considered ineligible for the operation. A high level of satisfaction with the decision to have a vasectomy, regardless of payment level, was found. There was no systematic influence of payment levels on post-operative problems.
Spouse selection in Canada, 1921–78: an examination by age, sex and religion
Authors: Basavarajappa K. G. , Norris M. J. , Halli S. S. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryThis paper presents time series data on spouse selection in Canada for the period 1921–78. Homogamous and endogamous trends are examined by age, sex and religion. There is considerable variation in the level of endogamy amongst religious groups. With respect to age, marriages were increasingly homogamous up to 1971 and thereafter less so. Younger males increasingly tended to select brides of their own age group until the 1960s, while older males have been increasingly heterogamous since World War II. Females under 20 years of age tend to select older grooms; other brides show no clear trend in their spouse selection by age.