Attitude of women towards family planning methods and its use--study from a slum of Delhi.

BACKGROUND: To predict the need of family planning methods, family planning managers often rely on unmet need derived from measure of contraceptive demand. However women's intention and her background knowledge of family planning methods not received as much attention as a measure of family planning methods demand. OBJECTIVE: To know the attitude of women regarding use of family planning methods and to find out the factors that restricts its use, and the change in pattern of use over a period of one year. METHODS: This was a prospective study. One (Block G) out of eight blocks was selected randomly. Using convenient sample method, families were selected starting from a point in the selected block (Block G). 40 women of childbearing age group (15- 49 years) were enrolled. All women were followed for a period of one year. RESULTS: Weakness was narrated as the commonest side effect from all family planning methods. More than 70% women told that irregular menstruation from Oral Contraceptive pills and ill health from tubectomy as the other side effects. Demands for more children and for son preferences were the leading reason for not using any methods followed by afraid of side effects and health problems. There was negligible change in the use of family planning methods during the period of the study. CONCLUSION: Effective family planning methods use should be advocated through adequate counseling about the correct use, side effects and their proper management and their benefit in the back ground of custom and belief.     

中国、日本、印度、南非、美国五国1970—2030年计划生育状况与趋势预测

 目的    分析并预测中国、日本、印度、南非、美国已婚/同居育龄女性计划生育状况,为满足育龄女性计划生育需要提供依据。方法    从《全球避孕及方法使用状况2016》(World Contraceptive Use 2016)中选取1970—2030年五国已婚/同居育龄女性的避孕节育数据,通过U检验和χ2检验比较五国1970—2016年间的计划生育现状及2017—2030年间的预测趋势。结果    相比于1970年,2016年五国总的计划生育需求增大,避孕节育率上升,未满足的计划生育需要下降(P<0.001)。2016年,五国避孕节育率分别为83.3%、59.9%、56.4%、64.9%、73.7%,未满足的计划生育需要分别为3.8%、13.1%、15.5%、12.2%、7.2%。同时,五国避孕方法的构成发生改变(P<0.001),现代避孕方法使用率高于传统避孕方法,且其满足总的计划生育需求的比例自1970—2016年也不断提高。2017—2030年五国总的计划生育需求、避孕节育率、未满足的计划生育需要、避孕方法的构成、未满足的现代避孕方法需要均有改变(P<0.001)。预测至2030年,中国将是避孕方法使用人数最多的国家,印度将是未满足的计划生育需要人数最多的国家;其中中国、印度有可能是现代避孕方法使用人数最多的国家,印度可能是传统避孕方法使用人数最多的国家。结论    当前五国已婚/同居育龄女性总的计划生育需求大、避孕节育率高、未满足的计划生育需要下降。预测此后至2030年间,该状况仍有可能延续,因此有必要提供适宜的避孕方法以维护生殖权利。     

Antenatal utilization, family planning and fertility preferences in Tari

This paper reports on the results of a questionnaire on antenatal utilization, family planning and fertility preferences carried out on 2560 women in Tari in 1998. There is a very high level of utilization of antenatal and delivery services. There is also a broad knowledge of family planning methods, but very low uptake of these services. Part of the reason for this lies in high fertility preferences among women in Tari, part in a lack of confidence regarding the methods, and part in male opposition to their use. Comparison with elsewhere in Papua New Guinea confirms that health service utilization and fertility preferences are high, and family planning uptake is low in Tari. The decline in health services and the collapse of law and order in Tari bodes ill for the future of a family planning program in a district in which the need for such services is rising, due to the effects of population pressure on the environment.     

Contraceptive use and its determinants amongst armed forces personnel

Background

Nearly 1.5 billion adolescent girls are entering into child bearing age groups without effective knowledge regarding family planning practices which are essential to maintain their reproductive health. Timely and effective knowledge regarding family planning norms and practices among the young women during their initial married days are vital. Therefore the study was carried out with the aim to find out the factors associated with use of contraceptive among Armed Forces Personnel.

Assessment of fertility control efforts in a selected area of Karachi, Pakistan

AIMS: To investigate the impact of fertility control efforts on reducing fertility and to study the contributory role of fertility inhibiting factors viz, age of the marriage, breast feeding and post-partum amenorrhea, abortion and use of contraceptives in selected area in Karachi, Pakistan. The aim was to estimate the gap between knowledge of contraceptives and its practice i.e. KAP-GAP as well as to determine the level of unmet need in the PIB colony in Karachi. DATA SOURCE: A sample survey was conducted in PIB colony in Karachi from October 2005 to November 2005 by interviewing 340 married women in reproductive ages. The data was tabulated and John Bongaarts technique was used to analyse the success of fertility control efforts in the selected area. RESULTS: Of the total of 340 respondents, 38% were currently using contraceptive methods with 26% using OCP's and 12% were condom users. A slight reduction in total fertility (TFR) was noticed. CONCLUSION: The population policy of Pakistan envisages achieving population stabilization in 2020 by reducing the annual rate of population growth from 1.9% to 1.3% and TFR at 2.1. This target requires strenuous efforts to make the concept of small family an accepted milieu through an eagerly designed communication and education campaign. Concentration on proximate determinants of fertility particularly breast feeding and prolonging birth interval will not generate opposition from the community because these concepts are in accordance with Islamic injunctions and teachings.     

Natural fertility in northeastern Mexico

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were as follows: 1) to describe the fertility of a sample of Mexican women (> or =45 years of age, married, not using any family planning methods, and residing in the Mexican state of Nuevo León); 2) to determine whether or not the distribution of completed family size fits the negative binomial distribution, as in other populations studied in the world, and 3) to assess the association between fertility and 10 explanatory variables. METHODS: A sample of 410 women was interviewed at and selected from seven medical units of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). The women were grouped by their year of birth (1896-1925 and 1926-1955) and birthplace [persons whose four grandparents were born in northeastern Mexico (NE) and outside northeastern Mexico (Not-NE)]. A binomial negative distribution analysis was assessed. Multiple linear regression was used to assess association between fertility (transformed by the use of inverse hyperbolic sines) and 10 explanatory variables, including age at marriage, heterozygosity, individual admixture, wife's education, husband's education, wife's occupation, husband's occupation, and couple's residence zone, birth year, and birthplace. RESULTS: Completed fertility was only associated with age at marriage. This population showed a fertility pattern similar to those described in Venezuelan and Brazilian populations in 1950 and 1940, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that before worldwide family planning programs, fertility was determined mainly by natural selection forces.     

Contraceptive prevalence among adolescent married women in rural Bangladesh

Although contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) has increased over the last decade it has not yet reached the desired level. This cross sectional study aimed at exploring the current use of the modern methods of contraception and some related issues among the adolescent married girls residing in two rural areas of Faridpur district. A total of 426 girls were interviewed. The mean age of marriage was found to be 15.5+/-1.5 years among the respondents and 57.5% of them had secondary level education. Majority of the women (97.7%) were housewives and 41% of the households had a monthly income of Taka. 2001-4000. It was found that only 41% of the couples were currently practicing a modern method of contraception, oral pill being the most popular method (69.9%). In seventy one percent of the respondents, husband and wife jointly took the decision regarding contraceptive use. The main reasons for use were for spacing purpose (50.3%) and for delaying of first pregnancy (42.2%). Increasing female literacy rate, improving their socio economic condition and providing family planning services at the doorstep could help in improving the situation.     

上海市闵行区流动人口婚育观念与行为的研究

应用现况调查方法,从上海市近效城乡结合部随机抽取２个乡镇（每个乡选取１个镇）作为调查单位,对２４８８例外来育龄流动妇女进行调查,着重调查婚姻和生育情况、生育意愿与生育决策、理想子女数和对子女性别的偏爱、节育状况、人流状况等。结果显示：由于国家计划生育政策的认真贯彻实施,外来流动人口的婚育观念及节育模式发生了改变,但有一些人仍保留着传统的婚育观念,提示应加强这些流动人口的计生宣教和计生服务。     

农村已婚育龄妇女宫颈糜烂危险因素的病例-对照研究

研究农村已婚育龄妇女宫颈糜烂的危险因素。方法：对2?996名农村已婚育龄妇女进行结构式问卷调查、临床和实验室检查，采用单因素与多因素Logistic分析病例组和对照组宫颈糜烂情况及危险因素。结果：农村已婚育龄妇女宫颈糜烂患病的危险因素中，学历以文盲为基线，小学、初中、高中的OR分别为0.505、0.397与0.404；在医院分娩为基线，家中分娩的OR为1.65；初婚年龄以≤22岁为基线，23～24岁、≥25岁的OR分别为0.53、0.59。结论：为了减少农村已婚育龄妇女宫颈糜烂，应加强健康教育，提倡晚婚晚育，推行计划生育，普及科学接生。     

广西壮族癫痫患者婚育情况调查分析

目的:对广西壮族癫痫患者婚姻及生育情况进行调查,并对其影响因素进行分析。方法:选择60例广西壮族癫痫患者为癫痫组,同时随机选取同期60名健康者为对照组;采用问卷调查的方法,重点调查婚姻和生育情况、个人收入、癫痫病情等,并对影响婚姻情况的相关因素进行分析。结果:癫痫组男、女结婚年龄均高于对照组(P<0.05和P<0.01);癫痫组男性已婚率及生育率均低于对照组(P<0.05),但2组女性已婚率及生育率差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。对照组子女出现1例先天性房间隔缺损,癫痫组子女有1例先天性唇裂,但2组差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。癫痫组已婚者为初中及以上文化多于未婚者(P<0.01);已婚者月收入>2 000元也明显多于未婚者(P<0.01);已婚和未婚者医疗费用支付方式差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);已婚者发病年龄高于未婚者(P<0.01),病程明显短于未婚者(P<0.01);癫痫组已婚与未婚者的疾病发作类型及综合征、发作持续时间差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05),但癫痫发作频率差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。logistic回归分析结果显示,性别、发病年龄、月收入、文化程度、病程、癫痫发作频率均为癫痫患者未婚的影响因素(P<0.01)。结论:广西壮族男性癫痫患者的已婚率及生育率明显低于健康男性,且婚姻状况又与性别、发病年龄、月收入、文化程度、病程、癫痫发作频率密切相关。     

The prevalence and characteristics associated with mother-infant bed-sharing in Klang district, Malaysia

This was a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of mother-infant bed-sharing practice in Klang district, Malaysia. Data was collected by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire for a four month period in 2006. A total of 682 mother-infant pairs attending government health clinics were included in the study. Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics of the mothers, information on the infants, bed-sharing and breastfeeding practices were collected. The mean maternal age was 28.4 +/- 5.1 years while the mean infant gestational age was 38.8 +/- 1.8 weeks. The study showed the prevalence of bed-sharing was 73.5% (95% CI: 70.0, 76.7). In multivariate analysis; area of interview, maternal occupation, family income, breastfeeding and infant birth weight were associated with bed-sharing after adjusted for maternal ethnicity, age, marital status, educational level, parity, infant gender and infant gestational age. In conclusion, bed-sharing is a common practice in Klang district, Malaysia, not specific to ethnicity, but strongly associated with low family income and breastfeeding.     

银川市社区居民健康知识和行为现状及其影响因素调查

目的了解银川市社区居民的健康知识知晓水平、健康行为现状及其影响因素。方法采取分层随机抽样的方法,对银川市的3个区(兴庆区、金风区、西夏区)10岁及以上居民共1200人进行问卷调查。结果银川市社区居民的健康知识水平普遍较高,如多数人同意吸烟和被动吸烟会导致癌症、心血管、呼吸系统等多种疾病占93.5%,婚前检查及母乳喂养的认知正确率较高,分别占91.7%和96.1%。96.8%的人认为生病时应避免不必要的注射和输液,注射时必须一人一针等;在健康行为形成方面,居民戒烟、戒酒的健康行为形成率较高,67.6%的人从不吸烟,65.6%的人不饮酒。影响健康知识知晓多因素分析显示,文化程度、家庭月收入、年龄、是否患病、家庭常住人口数有统计学意义;影响居民健康行为形成多因素分析显示,家庭月收入、性别、家庭常住人口数、年龄、文化程度、是否患病有统计学意义。结论银川市社区居民健康知识和行为水平普遍较高,但知识不够全面,年龄、家庭收入、文化程度、家庭常住人口数等是健康知识知晓率和健康行为形成率的主要影响因素。     

Orthodontic treatment needs among 12-15 year-olds in Moshi, Tanzania

OBJECTIVE: To assess malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 12-15-year-olds in Moshi municipality, Tanzania. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Moshi municipality, Tanzania. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and eighty nine randomly selected primary school children in Moshi municipality in the year 2003. RESULTS: Maxillary median diastema occurred in 20.1% of the children. Crowding and spacing in the incisor segments occurred in 41.2% and 28.4% respectively with significantly more crowding in males than in females (p = 0.009). Anterior irregularities occurred in 46% of the sample in the maxilla and 51.6% in the mandible. These irregularities were significantly more common in the females than in males in the maxilla and mandible (p = 0.014, p = 0.037 respectively). Reverse overjet was extremely rare (0.3%). Anterior openbite and antero-posterior molar relation discrepancies occurred in 6.2% and 32.5% of the sample, respectively. Crowding, irregularities in the incisor segments and antero-posterior molar relation discrepancies were dominant malocclusion traits in this population. The sample mean DAI score was 24.6 points (CI 95% 23.86-25.36). There was no statistically significant gender difference of DAI scores (p = 0.473). About 65% of the subjects had either no need or had slight need for treatment whereas 35.3% were found with orthodontic treatment needs ranging from elective (21.5%), highly desirable (6.9%) to mandatory (6.9%). There was no significant gender difference in the categories of treatment need (p = 0.942). Unmet orthodontic treatment needs were present in this population with a very small proportion of subjects exhibiting handicapping malocclusion. CONCLUSION: The information from this study forms part of the basis not only for further research, but also for planning orthodontic care in this community where unmet orthodontic treatment needs are present.     

Prevalence and determinants of adolescent cigarette smoking in Mongolia

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking is the single most important risk factor for non-communicable chronic medical conditions. Estimating the prevalence of cigarette smoking and its determinants will aid in the design, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and determinants of smoking among school-going adolescents in Mongolia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using standardised methodology was conducted among school-going adolescents in 2003 in Mongolia. RESULTS: 4,105 adolescents (mean age 14.1 years, standard deviation 0.8 year) participated in the study. Approximately 55 percent were females, 30.4 percent of the study population was 15 years old, 63.5 percent had never smoked and 93.2 percent perceived tobacco as harmful. About 58 percent had parents, and 52 percent had friends, who were smokers. The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 9.2 percent; 15.4 percent among males versus 4.4 percent among females. Cigarette smoking was associated with the male gender, parental and peer influence and having spending power. The perception that smoking was harmful to health was associated with lower odds of smoking. CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking is prevalent among school-going adolescents in Mongolia. There is a need to implement public health interventions, with special attention to the determinants of smoking in this age group.     

Prevalence of glaucoma in Sunsari district of eastern Nepal

Aims: To determine prevalence of glaucoma and glaucoma suspect in subjects 40 years and above in Sunsari district of eastern Nepal. Methods: A community based cross sectional study examining 1600 selected subjects was carried out. In all subjects best corrected visual acuity was determined. Oblique torch light test was used for anterior chamber depth evaluation. Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements with Perkins tonometer and fundus examination were carried out in the community. Subjects diagnosed as glaucoma suspect were further evaluated in the hospital using slit lamp examination, gonioscopy and Goldmann perimetry. Glaucoma was defined by characteristic disc and visual field changes irrespective of the level of IOP. Results: Of 1600 subjects examined, the prevalence of glaucoma was found to be 0.938%. The prevalences of primary open angle glaucoma, primary angle closure glaucoma, secondary glaucoma and ocular hypertension were 0.562%, 0.125%, 0.250% and 0.500% respectively. Lens induced glaucoma accounted for all the cases of secondary glaucoma. Conclusion: The prevalence of glaucoma in the Sunsari District of Nepal is 0.938%, which is lower than that reported in the neighboring regions. Lens induced glaucoma is highly prevalent as a cause of secondary glaucoma. Key words: Glaucoma, prevalence, Eastern Nepal, secondary glaucoma.     

Obstetric fistula in rural Ethiopia

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of obstetric fistula in rural Ethiopia and identify the circumstances and barriers to care that enhance development of obstetric fistula and its health and social consequences. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in seven out of eleven administrative regions of Ethiopia by visiting randomly selected houses in rural areas and identifying women who have or had obstetric fistula and interviewing them. RESULTS: A total of 19,153 houses were visited. Untreated fistula prevalence was about 1.5 per 1000 amounting to approximately 26,819 women. Most of the patients were young women who delivered for the first time. Marriage took place early in life mostly through family arrangements or abduction. The median number of days in labour was three to eight. CONCLUSION: Promotive measures such as increasing age at marriage, and identification and treatment of patients should be intensified. There is a great need in improving accessibility and affordability of basic and emergency obstetric services for rural communities. Curving the situation in the long run requires dealing with the problem of poverty and improvement in the status of women.     

Infant feeding practices of mothers in an urban area in Nepal.

Background: Child health in developing countries including Nepal is a matter of serious concern as the prevalence of malnutrition among children continues to be high with 48.6% of children under five in Nepal being underweight. Since infant feeding practices adopted by mothers play a major role in influencing health of these children, there is a need to study the infant feeding practices prevalent in different areas in order to have pragmatic approaches to solve this problem. Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among mothers who attended the immunization clinics of 18 wards of Pokhara municipality area. They were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire on various aspects of infant feeding. Result: A total of 168 mothers were interviewed and prevalence of breastfeeding was 99.4% (167). Only 43.5% of the mothers initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth and 60.5% were practicing exclusive breastfeeding at 5 months. Almost 40% of the mothers started complementary feeding before the recommended age of 6 months and 22.5 % delayed introduction of complementary feeding beyond the recommended age. Conclusion: Breast feeding practices adopted by mothers of Pokhara urban area are still lacking in terms of late initiation of and early starting of complementary feeding. There is a need to educate the mothers regarding proper infant feeding practices. Key words: infant feeding, breastfeeding, weaning.