[Fertility and maternal-infant health]. / Fecundidad y salud materno infantil

PIP: The Chilean Association for the protection of the Family was founded 21 years ago in response to serious problems in maternal and child health. A brief history of birth control programs in Chile shows that initial strong government support has been tempered since 1979 by concern over the sharp drop in the birth rate. The number of abortions in Chile has decreased from 28.7/1000 women of reproductive age in 1964 to 11.3/1000 in 1984. Maternal mortality has decreased from 28.6/10000 live births to 3.6/10000 in the same time. Thus these 2 objectives have been very successful. The sharpest decline in the birth rate has been among women over 35 years old, and women of low educational level, indicating perhaps that a greater proportion of children are being born to women most suited to have them. There has been a decrease in the proportion of high risk pregnancies. A high correlation has been found between economic indicators and fecundity, indicating that reproductive behavior is strongly influenced by economic contingencies. Maternal and infant mortality are multifactorial and many different approaches are needed to reduce them. Nevertheless, in the past 20 years, chile has been able to make significant advances in these areas.^ieng