Nicaragua 1998: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

PIP: This article presents summary statistics gathered from the 1998 Nicaragua Demographic and Health Survey (Encuesta Nicaraguense de Demografia y Salud 1998, ENDESA-98). Data from the nationally representative ENDESA-98 were collected from 11,528 households. Interviews were conducted with 13,634 women aged 15-49 years and 2912 men aged 15-59 years between December 1, 1997, and May 31, 1998. The statistics presented were on fertility trends, fertility differentials, age-specific fertility, fertility preferences, current contraceptive use, contraception, marital and contraceptive status, differentials in median age at first birth, postpartum variables, and infant mortality. In addition, statistical data on the health and nutritional status of children were also presented.^ieng

Peru 1996: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

PIP: This report presents findings of the 1996 Peru Demographic and Health Survey among 28,951 women 15-49 years old and 2487 men 15-59 years old. Fertility was 3.5 children/woman (5.6 in rural and 2.8 in urban areas). Fertility ranged from 2.1 among higher educated women to 6.9 among women with no formal education. 41.7% wanted the births in the 5 years preceding the survey. 23.2% wanted the birth later. 34.8% wanted no more births. A high percentage of women with 3 or more children wanted no more children. 22.9% currently used modern contraceptive methods. 41.3% used traditional methods. Contraceptive prevalence peaked at ages 35-39 years at 72.9%. Prevalence was 46.0% at 15-19 years old and 40.9% at 45-49 years old. 12% used the IUD. 18% used periodic abstinence. 42.7% of nonusers were menopausal. 12.4% were subfecund. 7.5% feared side effects. The median age at first birth was 21.5 years. Infant mortality was 43/100,000. Infant mortality was very high among rural and uneducated women. Only 1.1% were moderately to severely undernourished, but 25.8% were moderately to severely chronically undernourished.^ieng

Peru 1986: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

PIP: The Peru Demographic and Health Survey, conducted in 1986-87, collected data from 4666 households and included complete interviews with 4999 women 15-49 years of age. The survey was national in scope, covering 93% of the population. This article presents summary statistics from the survey. The 26 tables and figures that comprise this article cover the following topics: general characteristics of the population; distribution of survey sample population by socioeconomic characteristics; fertility trends; fertility differentials, 1983-85; age-specific fertility; ideal number of children by age and number of living children for currently married women; desire to stop childbearing among currently married women; planning status of births in last 12 months, by birth order; contraceptive prevalence differentials; contraceptive prevalence by age and parity; source of current method or information about method; knowledge and use of methods among currently married women; nonuse among exposed currently married women by desire for more children; reasons for nonuse among exposed nonusers; current marital status; differentials in age at 1st union; exposure status of currently married women; duration of postpartum interval by current status; differentials in breastfeeding and amenorrhea; postpartum status by duration since birth; infant mortality trends; infant mortality differentials, 1981-86; children ever born and surviving; percent of children under 5 years of age with health card, and percent immunized; prevalence and treatment of diarrhea among children under 5 years of age; and type of assistance during delivery for births in 5 years prior to survey. The ideal number of children averaged 2.8 among survey respondents. 46% of respondents were current users of a contraceptive method.^ieng

Breastfeeding and use of the health care system in Bahia State, Brazil: three multivariate analyses.

Three multivariate methods--deviation from total proportion breastfeeding, polynomial regression, and proportional hazards--are used on current status breastfeeding data to explain an inverse relationship between use of the health care system and breastfeeding in Bahia State, Brazil. Among the intervening variables analyzed--urban/rural residence, educational attainment, age of woman, and place of last live birth--education and place of last live birth are found to have a net effect on breastfeeding by all three methods of analysis. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are described.

PIP: The health care system in northeastern Brazil (Bahia State) should be encouraging breast feeding, but data suggest that women who use the system breast feed for a shorter time than those who do not use the system. The question posed in the multivariate analysis is whether this relationship is due to the association between the use of health care and socioeconomic status, residence, or demographic characteristics. 3 multivariate methods--deviation from total proportion breast feeding, polynomic regression, and proportional hazards--are compared. Data were obtained as part of the 1980 Northeastern Brazil Survey of Maternal-Child Health and Family Planning. The survey was a statewide sample of households with 1 woman of childbearing age (15-44) selected/household. Interviews were obtained with 2091 women. All had births 1-24 months before the interview. Measures of the entent and duration of breast feeding for selected variables are given, as are zero-order correlation coefficients for the polynomial regression method with current breast feeding status as a dependent variable. The proportion of women who are currently breast feeding is given by 2 regression methods, as is the net effects on the proportion currently breast feeding. Estimated coefficients for the proportional hazards method are also given, as is the relative risk of weaning in the same multivariate analysis model. The results of the comparisons made suggest that, of variables considered--educational status, urban/rural residence, age, and place of last live birth--only education and place of last live birth are found to have a net effect on breast feeding.

Nutrition and development in infants of poor rural areas. Pt. 1. Consumption of mother's milk by infants.

This study was designed to examine the pattern of mother's milk consumption of infants from poor Mexican rural areas. A standardized sample of 17 mother-infant units was longitudinally studied in ad-libitum conditions, estimating milk volume by difference in body weights before and after feeding from the breast. Average total milk consumption during the 1st year of life was 183 +or- 23 liters. Daily milk consumption started low (423 +or- 85 ml), increased to a peak at 450 +or- 80 ml, and finally dropped to about 350 +or- 44 ml at 18 months. About 1/2 the cases reached the peak at 8 weeks and the rest at 24 weeks; this difference in presentation of the peak was connected to the mother's parity and nutritional status. Consumption seems to depend on mother's production since the baby keeps a high demand as evidenced by high feeding frequencies and too long sucking times. The gap resulting from decreasing milk production at a time when nutritional needs increase progressively affects the baby's development and nutritional status.