Population: problems and policies.

PIP: Sri Lanka's population policies, which the government has promoted since 1977, have achieved positive results. The policies are directed at the country's rapid population growth (an increase of 500% in the last 100 years), population distribution (concentration in the western coastal belt), population composition (46% are younger than age 20), and attendant health problems, especially for women and children. The government provides family planning services to all who seek such services. It educates the people on the implications of population growth for national development and the health implications of having too many children without adequate spacing. The government is developing the country's dry zone and suburban towns to reduce population pressures in urban areas. Conditions for women have improved with equal education and employment opportunities. Underlying the policy of improved education for women is the belief that women's age at marriage will thereby be increased, fertility rates will be reduced, and the health of children and mothers will be promoted. The government also aims to further reduce infant and child mortality rates through a program promoting child immunization, growth weight monitoring, and breast-feeding. Achievements of the government's policies include a 5% decline in total number of births from 1982 to 1985, a decline in the crude birth rate from 30/1000 in the late 1970s to 24.6/1000 in 1985, and an increase in acceptance rates for all family planning methods from 34% in 1975 to 55% in 1982.^ieng

Towards a systematic sharing of population information.

PIP: Population information can be defined as that which disseminates knowledge regarding population and related concepts. It is geared towards users as population information would facilitate decisions in policy and related issues. Population information includes primary and secondary information on population as well as areas such as family planning, health and nutrition, family welfare, demography, and other related social and biological sciences. The task of the channeler in bridging the gap between producers and users of population information is to ensure that all population information relevant to those concerned with population and its problems is disseminated in a manner appropriate to the respective situations for the respective users. The 3 basic functions of a channeler are to process the materials received from producers to be disseminated to users, to identify and analyze the information needed by users to be suggested to producers, and to feed back to producers information materials disseminated to users. Utilization of information which is disseminated from a clearinghouse can be evaluated, but to evaluate procedures, practices have to be defined carefully. Simple techniques which are reliable and valid should be utilized depending on country-specific situations.^ieng