Quality Education
Prevalence and correlates of morbidity in pregnant women in an urban slum of New Delhi
In most developing country settings, pregnancy and childbirth are accepted as normal events of life and it is not surprising that problems associated with pregnancy are also accepted without much ado. A new approach to measuring maternal mortality indicates that there are about 585,000 maternal deaths annually worldwide, 99 per cent of them in developing countries (AbouZhar and others, 1996). Over 20 million babies are born in India every year. The maternal mortality ratio ranges from 400 to 550 deaths per 100,000 live births, with wide variations between different states (Bhat and others, 1992). However, mortality represents just the tip of the iceberg. It has been estimated that for every maternal death, there are over 100 acute morbid episodes indicating an overall figure of 62 million morbidities annually (Koblinsky, 1993). Though these are crude estimates, they highlight the magnitude of the problem.
Sexual behaviour and risk perceptions among young men in border towns of Nepal
The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has increased significantly in Nepal in recent years. As of 31 May 2000, there were 1,541 identified HIV-positive cases in the country, of which 69.9 per cent were adolescents and young adults aged between 14 and 29 years (Ministry of Health, 2000). The major transmission route in this country is through heterosexual relations with non-regular sex partners and commercial sex workers (Karki, 1998). In view of the hidden nature of the problem, the actual size of the infected population is likely to be considerably larger.
Population and sustainable development: The critical role of good governance
Many articles in the popular press and in academic journals decry the doomed state of our planet. In one recent journalistic account, “The Ends of the Earth”, the author (Kaplan, 1997) journeyed to see for himself “the corrosive effects of overpopulation and environmental degradation in the Third World”. What he found, not surprisingly, was consistent with what he had expected, based on the oft-cited statistical indicators of development - or more accurately, of the malaise of development - decay, disorder and depression. Similar indicators suggest that the news from the Pacific is not good either. Demographic trends particularly are invoked as harbingers of doom for these island countries and territories. The well-rehearsed scenario is a future condemned by overpopulation of under-resourced towns and depopulation of the outer islands; by agricultural communities beggared by the pressure of numbers, the degradation of their environmental resources, and the loss of their most productive members; by the inability of basic education and health services to make headway against the growing numbers of potential clients; and by economic stagnation that is deepened by the emigration of talent and the absence of jobs for the remnant of a low-skilled labour force (see, for example, Cole, 1993).
Biomedical facts and social constructs: The relative attention paid to prenatal and postpartum periods in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, a well-organized system of maternal and child health services provides care to mothers and children. However, the services provided before delivery differ markedly from those following delivery, when most of the care and attention is bestowed on the newborn and not on the mother. This difference may be seen with regard to both the formal health delivery system and the general attention given to the mother by the family. Although the pregnant mother receives attention from the maternal health services, it is not for the mother herself, but rather because she is carrying the baby. This is not surprising in a society where a woman’s main role is childbearing and child-rearing — a role that the mothers themselves accept. But because of such attitudes, mothers do not receive the necessary care during the postpartum period from the formal health delivery system, their families or even from themselves.
Impact of maternal education and health services on child mortality in Uttar Pradesh, India
Improvements in health services, education and provision of safe drinking water, all have a desirable impact on child survival
Determinants of unmet need for family planning in squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan
The concept of “unmet need” for family planning refers to a discrepancy between the fertility goals expressed by women and their actual contraceptive practices (Concepcion, 1980). The most fundamental discrepancy is non-use of contraception despite an expressed preference for limiting births. High levels of unmet need are a principal rationale for the existence of family planning programmes.
Education and health in South Asia: What do we know?
During the last decade, at least three international conferences (the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995) sought to reshape a vision of women’s lives by placing gender equity, women’s rights, empowerment, health (including reproductive health), quality of life, equality and freedom at the centre of population and sustainable development policies and programmes. In the period since these international events, almost all States, as signatories of the action agendas of the conferences, have attempted to move closer to fulfilling many of the commitments. In this endeavour, they have also sought the help f both national and international non-governmental organizations, institutions and corporate sectors. However, certain challenges remain for many of the countries in terms of access to services for some of the marginalized groups. Perhaps more innovative approaches rather than the standard poverty alleviation approaches are needed to bring all within the fold of development.
Effects of the productive role of Bangladeshi women on their reproductive decisions
The role of reproductive health care in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity has been widely reported; in most developing countries, however, women still have little control over their sexuality and reproductive decisions (Cook and Fathalla, 1996; Hadi, 1999). This adverse situation has direct impacts on fertility, maternal morbidity, the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and neonatal mortality (Heise, Moore and Toubia, 1995; Sadik, 1998; Berer, 2000). Although feminists have long been struggling to improve conditions for women, reproductive rights issues have only recently been getting recognition in demographic discourse. The long-term effects of violations of reproductive rights are not yet adequately understood, although it has been reported that abused women might have developed multiple medical complications such as chronic pelvic pain and somaticized symptoms. Although sex is a natural part of life, the ability of women to determine when they should copulate has a strong positive association with the prevention of unwanted pregnancy (Cook and Fathalla, 1996).
Population characteristics in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is - with the exception of Singapore - the least populated country of continental South-east Asia; it also has the lowest density of population. The country’s first nationwide census as of 1 March 1985 reported a preliminary total of 3,584,803 inhabitants
International migration and the ESCAP region: A policy-oriented approach
The major issue in the 1990s is not going to be fertility, but population movement.
The familial support system of Thai elderly: An overview
The future of the support system for the Thai elderly is uncertain.
Demographic health survey: Xay Thani District of Vientiane Prefecture, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
This article contains a sectoral demographic and health survey primarily intended to give policy makers concrete data on the demographic and health situation in Xay Thani district, which is located within a 30-60 kilometre radius of Vientiane, capital city of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).
Fourth Asian and Pacific population conference
The Fourth Asian and Pacific Population Conference will be held from 19 to 27 August 1992, in Bali, Indonesia, to enable ministers and other senior representatives of ESCAP members and associate members to review the population situation in the region and plan a course of action to deal with population and sustainable development issues into the twenty-first century. They will be joined by representatives of various United Nations agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in their discussions.
Client satisfaction with sterilization procedure in Bangladesh
The findings dispel the misconception that the decline in the number of sterilization cases in the late 1980s was due to growing dissatisfaction among sterilized clients
Social support among the aged in Wuhan, China
Besides living arrangements and enacted instrumental support, proper emphasis should also be given to various aspects of interpersonal exchanges and their interrelationships
The fertility decline in China: The contribution of changes in marital status and marital fertility
The policy prospects for retaining a low level of fertility must take into account the effects of socioeconomic development on fertility.
A decomposition analysis of recent fertility decline in Fiji
The population of Fiji consisting of two major ethnic groups, the indigenous Melanesian population referred to as Fijians and the population who are of Indian origin referred to as Indians, has gone through significant demographic changes in the recent past. These were revealed in the two latest publications on Fiji (Bureau of Statistics, 1989; Gubhaju and Navunisaravi, 1989). The demographic change with which this note is mainly concerned is the decline in fertility of Fijians and Indians over the past two decades, 1966-1986.
Mongolia: Recent demographic trends and implications
questionable aspect of the country’s population dynamics is the preponderant role that abortion plays in fertility decline
Levels and trends in post-partum amenorrhoea, breast-feeding and birth intervals in Matlab, Bangladesh: 1978-1989
The adoption of modern contraceptive methods appears to have more than compensated for the sharp drop in the length of post-partum amenorrhoea.
The circumstances and contributions of older persons in three Asian countries: Preliminary results of a cross-national study
There is a need for greater recognition of older persons’ contributions and for policies to be formulated which will be conducive to developing their potential.