Judith E. Brown

Polygyny and family planning in sub-Saharan Africa.

The proportion of married persons in subSaharan Africa who are polygynous varies widely among nations and tribes and it is not clear whether the practice is increasing or decreasing. Polygyny is reported less frequently in towns than in rural areas; polygynous urban marriages may be sanctioned by tradition but not by law and thus are not likely to be reported on demographic surveys. Polygyny may be chosen for a variety of reasons including cultural economic prestige reproductive and sexual. Evidence suggests that polygynous women may desire fewer children than monogamous women and may not need contraceptives as early in the postpartum period. (authors)

Characteristics of Contraceptive Acceptors in Lusaka, Zambia

This paper reports on a study conducted in Lusaka, Zambia in which 2,912 client records were examined in 22 randomly selected clinics throughout Lusaka Province. The purpose of the study was to assist the government and the local family planning association in targeting future efforts to extend services to underserved populations. Among newly enrolled acceptors in 1984, the study revealed a surprisingly low median age of 24 and a median parity of 3. The majority were married, had some secondary education, were unemployed housewives, and were breastfeeding at the time of the first visit. Nearly half had used contraceptives before. Over three-fourths of the clients received contraceptive pills when they enrolled. They returned to the clinic an average of 2.4 times during the first year, but only 24 percent were still active after 12 months. The availability of recently released census data allowed a comparison of contraceptive acceptors with women in the general Lusaka population. Data from urban clinics and smaller clinics in rural parts of the province revealed few significant rural-urban differences. Finally, the study examined trends in age, parity, and education of contraceptive users over a ten-year period.

Characteristics of contraceptive acceptors in rural Zaire.

Almost 15% of the women of childbearing age accepted modern contraception during the 1st 2 years of a program of contraceptive education and services in a remote rural area of Zaire. Family planning team members were widely known residents of the area. Their personal contact strongly influenced the acceptance and method of contraception chosen by local women. The acceptors averaged 7 pregnancies and 5 living children and generally wanted a total of 6 or 7 children.

An evaluation of nutrition centre effectiveness by measurement of younger siblings

Thirty children were measured when they entered nutrition centres. Their younger siblings were later measured at the same age. Over the same period, a matched group of control children and their siblings were measured. The younger siblings of Centre participants showed the same growth patterns as the younger siblings of control children. Centre teaching had evidently not affected the way mothers fed their younger children, and thus it had no effect on their growth.