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  • Title: Childspacing and child health.
    Author: Senanayake P.
    Journal: Draper Fund Rep; 1982 Dec; (11):5-8. PubMed ID: 12264603.
    Abstract:
    Childspacing benefits the health of both mother and child. The major biological variables affecting the life and health of mother and child are maternal age, pregnancy interval, and number of previous pregnancies. Socioeconomic indices such as nutrition and environmental factors further influence the results of pregnancy, including the risk of death or complications at delivery for both mothers and infants. Taken together, these elements affect even longterm developments, to the extent of causing differences in the intellectual performance of the offspring. In some developing countries pregnancy complications are still a major cause of death among women. Women are at increased risk if they have already borne 3 or more children, are under age 20, or are over age 35. A primary benefit of family planning is that it enables women to avoid high risk pregnancies, and thereby improves the health of women by making it possible for them to have children when they are physically and mentally best prepared. The best start in life a child can have is to be born to a mother who is healthy and is part of a loving family able to provide sufficient care and attention. The highest rate of fetal death seems to be among pregnancies that began less than 1 year after the end of the previous pregnancy, and the frequency of fetal deaths appears to increase with birth order. In many areas of the world each subsequent child means less food for each family member. A most persuasive argument for childspacing is the inability of many families to feed several children adequately, and the ensuing malnutrition that results. The same factors that affect children's health also seem to affect their development. Children in large families and those born close together suffer inferior growth and development, both physically and intellectually, compared with other children. 1 of the beneficial effects of breastfeeding is that it provides biological birth spacing, the result of maternal hormonal changes brought about by suckling. The cessation of breastfeeding represents a hazard to the infant with respect to nutrition, growth, and protection from infection. It may also contribute to maternal death by stimulating fertility. Family planning programs need to be expanded to meet universal demand. They also must be reviewed critically from the perspective of the community in which they operate. Each program should be adapted to meet the socio-cultural needs of the clients served.
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