Many extant studies on the use of non-parental child care are based on data from the youngest child in the household. To date, it has not been addressed whether this approach introduces bias. We present reasons why child care arrangements for youngest children may differ from those of same-age older children and examine whether the use of child…

With the recent emphasis on human development, development researchers are making frequent use of aggregate demographic measures in describing development experiences and more so while linking health and development. And it is often seen that comparison of these demographic aggregates across space and time is naive given their complex construct on…

The main purpose of our study was to assess the effects of prenatal tobacco smoke on respiratory symptoms and on doctor consultations in a birth cohort of 445 infants who had no smoking mothers and who had no postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Before and after delivery, questionnaires and interviews with mothers were…

The emergence of the market as a regulatory tool for the public sector and the promotion of competition among institutions are based upon the idea that they promote institutions' responsiveness to society and a more efficient use of public funds. However, autonomous institutions forced to compete under market-like conditions may follow strategies…

This study was conducted to investigate the sexual attitudes of college students (N=384) at a Western Kansas university. Students completed the Sexual Attitudes Scale, the Personal Attribute Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire examining gender, birth order, family structure, and age at which one started dating. Of 20 main effects…

This issue of Children in the Tropics analyzes key issues relating to protecting the health of newborn infants. Many of the suggestions offered concern rudimentary health care situations in developing countries. Key issues are addressed in four sections. The first section discusses the early care and first medical examination of infants born in…

This report describes the results of three studies of Canadian mothers with preterm infants that support three conclusions about mothers' experiences of preterm birth. The first conclusion is that preterm birth is a very stressful experience, even for mothers with relatively healthy infants. Mothers' major concerns focused on their infants'…

Recently, reports have indicated that, after years of steady decline, infant mortality has begun to increase in a number of communities throughout the United States. Many of these reports come from areas experiencing high levels of unemployment. While the dimensions and causes of this problem are not entirely understood, strong indications exist…

Births occurring each year in North Dakota of children born out of wedlock impacts the state both financially and in terms of the utilization of social services. The Department of Human Services provides financial assistance as well as services to parents of out of wedlock children in order to help the mother and/or father develop better parenting…

Existing demographic analyses do not explain the negative relationship between population growth and life-support systems that are now emerging in scores of developing countries. The demographic transition, a theory first outlined by demographer Frank Notestein in 1945, classified all societies into one of three stages. Drawing heavily on the…

On January 1, 1987, the total population including Armed Forces overseas approached 243 million, having increased by 2.2 million or 0.9 percent since January 1, 1986 and 15.7 million since the April 1, 1980 census. The number of births per 1,000 population dropped slightly from 15.7 in 1985 to 15.3 in 1986. The 3.7 million births in 1986 were the…

As a follow-up to a conference on Jewish population growth, two focus groups of young couples explored personal factors that motivate childbearing decisions. Couples reported that their decisions about how many children to have evolved sequentially, and depended on specific experiences with the first child and each additional child. Couples…

This document focuses on published materials on the topic of the effects of family structure on intelligence and academic achievement from the last 15 years. Fourteen terms such as "birth order" and "spacing" are defined. Forty-five papers, published from 1973 to 1986, are annotated. Research results are summarized in the areas of family size,…

In October, 1986, The World Health Organization's regional offices for Europe and the Americas held a joint symposium attended by over 40 participants from North and South America and Europe, including obstetricians, pediatricians, health administrators, sociologists, psychologists, economists, epidemiologists, medical journalists, and service…

Women who had no health insurance or who were enrolled in Medicaid were interviewed to determine the extent of their prenatal care. Those most likely to obtain insufficient care were the women who were uninsured, poorly educated, Black or Hispanic, or teenagers from large urban areas. Barriers to earlier or more frequent prenatal care were the…