birth control
The fertility related behavior of Mexican American adolescents.

Lindemann C, Scott W.

PIP: Data from a clinic sample of pregnant adolescents are analyzed for differences in fertility related variables between Mexican American and non Mexican. The independent variables are birthplace, ethnicity, and exposure to United States culture of Mexican and non Mexican adolescents. The dependent variables are talking about sex, pregnancy, birth control, hearing about birth control, and use of birth control. The data support the hypothesis that in the process of acculturation the fertility related behavior of immigrant Mexican adolescent females is affected by the indigenous United States Mexican culture rather than by United States Anglo culture. Implications for delivery of services are discussed. The delivery of fertility related services should take into account the cultural preferences of Mexican women, and should not involve coercion from legal or medical authorities. While liberation of Mexican American women, and accompanying changes in childbearing patterns may be desirable, these efforts should originate within the Mexican American community. Data is presented in tables on selected sample and subsample characteristics and compares fertility behaviors across ethnic groups, including Anglo, Black, US non-Mexican, and US Mexican. author's modified

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birth control
[Strategy on control of births by population trend (author's transl)]

[Article in Korean]

Kong SK, Jang YS.

PIP: The birth control program was based on the idea that an individual should want a small family and pregnancy should be prevented if a child is not wanted. Birth control program goals were, therefore, conducted through an educational enlightenment of family planning programs and contraceptive services provided to the targetted groups. The service delivery system has been modified to reflect the socio-situational changes over the last 20 years. These programs have, however, faced difficulties because of unlimited contraceptive service delivery systems and a lack of diversity in the services offered. The dynamic socioeconomic development achieved during the last 20 years (1962-81) and the steady implementation of birth control measures have apparently had an impact on the population structure and distribution. At the same time, the practice of abortion and present acceptance rates make us wonder whether or not present services are meeting actual needs. The objectives of this study were to analyze behavioral changes in births, and to examine how population dynamics have changed. Recommendations for future birth control policy were made. During the 1960s, the population maintained a high 3% increase rate while the death rate gradually decreased. However, during 1970-80, birthrate and death rate decreased by 50%. The population structure has changed with younger population ratios decreasing and the elder population increasing. The increase in total population and the change in the age structure will increase the reproductive population in spite of the concentrated family planning efforts for the reproductive age group. Reproductive women have been increasing and the population ratio of women between ages 15-49 was 23% in 1960 and will increase to 26% in 1980 and 27% in 1990. This increase in the ratio of eligible women will function inversely to population decline. The ratio of higher fertility age groups in the total population has increased since 1980 so they should be the target group for the birth control program between 1982-89. The industrialization and urbanization have contributed to population increases in cities. The ratio of eligible urban women vs. rural women was 31:69 in the 1960s but the ratio changed to 48:52 in 1970 and 63:37 in 1980 as a result of rural-urban migration. Abortion has been increasing among the younger people. More fertile women have concentrated themselves in the cities and future birth control programs and campaigns should concentrate there. The focus of the birth control program is for women to want and accept contraceptive services. Since the goal of less than 3 children for 1 couple has been achieved, it has become difficult to decrease the number of children any more. 30% of the women wish to have many children and refuse to use contraception. Future birth control measures should aim at the higher fertility groups of eligible women ages 25-34 and should provide different types of services to different classes of women. Under the circumstances, current birth control policies and programs should receive strong support from the government. Modifications are urgently needed for program management and implementation of the birth control program. (author's modified)

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birth control
[For controlling population growth more scientifically]

[Article in Chinese]

Liu Y.

PIP: The February 4, 1982 edition of the People's Daily published a directive of the State Council of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party regarding going a step further in the work of birth control. The spirit of the directive is to adapt to new situations and to push forward the work of birth control. Since the late 1970s, the success of birth control has been seen in the decline of the rate of natural population growth. Birth control work is affected by the new circumstances that rose with the effort to raise economic standards. For instance, the system of fixed responsibility in production that is being implemented in the villages benefits population control. That is, a developing agarian economy can alleviate the problem of supporting the aged, dispel the anxieties of future care of the elderly, and build up a dependable material basis. The spirit of the directive is based on objective truths, as is the control of population growth and the implementation of birth control work. If birth control can succeed in the countryside where 800 million peasants reside, then there is hope for attaining the goals of population control; but, there are differences between urban and rural settings, and the methods for population control cannot be the same for both situations. Nor can it be the same for China's minorities, whose population control programs must be tailored to their particular needs. Meeting the population needs of varying situations with different solutions is more scientific and realistic. The task of controlling population growth is formidable, but the following favorable conditions will facilitate the work: 1) party and governmental support is great, and population planning is an integral part of economic and social planning; 2) birth control organizations exist at all levels; 3) there exists high social and political consciousness among disciplined masses; and 4) there is a body of accumulated experience from which to draw.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12265438&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Adolescent pregnancy and sex roles.

Ireson CJ.

PIP: This study seeks to link adolescent pregnancy with several aspects of sex-role traditionality and other variables that may be related to sex roles. It is hypothesized that orientation to traditional sex roles is related to the occurrence of pregnancy among sexually active teenagers. For the study sample of teenage females receiving birth control or pregnancy testing services, it is hypothesized that the pregnant teenagers will be more likely than other teenagers to be oriented toward traditional sex roles. The sample consisted of 161 young women, ranging in age from 13-18, with an average age of 16.5 years. Data were collected at selected health related agencies in a city in the Pacific Northwest by staff members who were blind to the hypotheses of the study. The respondents usually completed a brief questionnaire while they waited for a desired service. Of the total sample, 43 were pregnant; 34 had positive pregnancy tests and 9 others already knew they were pregnant when they filled out the questionnaire. 82 obtained birth control information or services and 36 experienced negative pregnancy tests. These groups are referred to as the pregnant group, the birth control group, and the negative pregnancy test group. Sex role values were determined by asking the respondent to indicate degree of agreement or disagreement with a series of opinion statements. The results provide some support for the main hypothesis. Pregnant teenagers were more likely than others to be oriented toward traditional sex roles. Pregnant teenagers, when compared with the birth control seeking group, showed more traditional sex-typing of activities, lower educational expectations and occupational aspirations, lower grades, and were more likely to have dropped out of school. There was only 1 significant difference between the pregnant adolescents and those in the negative pregnant test group. The pregnant teens had lower educational expectations. When all the independent and control variables were included in a single multivariate analysis, pregnant teens compared to birth control seeking teens had lower socioeconomic status (SES), more traditional sex-typing of activities, less traditional occupational aspirations, less sense of personal control, and lower school grades. In the other group comparison, pregnant teens compared to the teens with negative pregnancy tests had lower SES, educational expectations, and sense of personal control. When exploring the relationships between group membership and each relevant variable, the hypothesized pattern emerged. In terms of policy implications, the study findings suggest that programs and other changes addressing the relationship between traditionality and teen pregnancy are needed.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12266939&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Family planning in Britain-the doctor's role.

[No authors listed]

PIP: Ann Cartwright's recent book, "Parents and Family Planning Services" provide insight into the medical methods of distributing contraceptive advice in Britain where friends and relatives are the most important sources of birth control advice. The percentage of people who consider the family doctor the most important source of birth control has risen from 20% in 1968 to 28% in 1970, while family planning clinics as the stated source have dropped from 12% to 9% during the same period. Cartwright's book also examines some of the attitudes among doctors which make the spread of birth control advice difficult.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12254735&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
On the operating mechanism of population control.

Wei J.

PIP: The progress made in population control in China is accounted for. The ingredients are a sound operating system (a mechanism), sufficient motivation, adequate and appropriate funding, information dissemination which dispels health fears and extols the health benefits, and a breakdown of social barriers to birth control. The mechanism takes into account the facts that individuals make choices about birth control and should have sufficient motivation and that the costs to society and individuals should be acceptable. Birth control will succeed when the motivation is strong and costs are reasonable. Even forced implementation will not work when costs are high and motivation weak. The current Chinese mechanism is not adequate to deal with new problems arising from reform and an opening up to the Western world. A parent's motivation is a result of supply and demand under certain conditions. The ability to produce children is related to the maximum parity under no restrictions and the probability of survival. Policy interventions must be directed to increasing the gap between supply and demand by influencing a parent's desire for more children. This desire is influenced by number, gender, and birth intervals as well as by educational and occupational goals. Son preference will increase the demand for more children. The economic value of children, resources available for raising children, and a subjective value judgement also influence the desire for children. Parental decisions may not be well-founded. The purpose of the policy is to establish minimum age requirements for employment and job-training programs and to provide old age security with greater benefits to those practicing birth control. Campaigns should be conducted to convince people to have small families. The long-term cost effectiveness of the IUD and sterilization means a wise investment. Funding has been increased to 2 yuan/person to account for the expansion of the program in breadth and depth. Misconceptions about the cost to health through side effects can be dispelled through campaigns and appropriate targets.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12286125&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Is tuberculin skin test sensitivity depressed by oral contraceptives?

Bonadero P, Arnason BG.

Question: In the "Journal of the American Medical Association" editorial "Oral contraceptives and immune responses" (209: 410, 1969) the following statement appears: "Other reactions of delayed hypersensitivity, such as the tuberculin response, are similarly suppressed by estrogens and presumably by oral contraceptives also." Does this mean that women taking birth control pills may have a false-negative tuberculin skin test reaction? Answer: I am not aware of any studies of tuberculin skin test reaction in women taking birth control pills. However, in the immunologic studies which have been done, the birth control pills have had primarily the same effect as estrogen. There are experiemntal studies in animals in which the findings point to a considerable reduction, though not an abolition, of tuberculin skin test sensitivity in animals given estrogen. It seems likely, therefore, that the tuberculin sensitivity in the skin may well be somewhat reduced in women taking oral contraceptives, though direct evidence is lacking. full text

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12255493&dopt=Abstract birth control