These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: The demand for fertility control in sub-Saharan Africa.
    Author: Frank O.
    Journal: Stud Fam Plann; 1987; 18(4):181-201. PubMed ID: 3629661.
    Abstract:
    Recent fertility surveys in Africa reveal that a striking majority of women want more children, even among those who practice modern contraception, and that modern contraceptive prevalence is still low for women most motivated to avert pregnancy. This analysis suggests that whereas there is, as yet, little indication of change in conditions anticipated to shift the underlying demand for children, uncertainties attached to successful childraising due to risks of infertility, failure to thrive, disability, and divorce strongly favor traditional forms of fertility regulation. The two major means of fertility regulation in Africa--avoidance of next pregnancy in reference to the last born child's survival and rearrangement of the timing and tempo of childrearing through fostering--are not equivalent to modern contraception in purpose or practice. Against these general observations, particular demand for fertility control is identified for groups of women who demonstrate interest in nontraditional forms of fertility regulation at specific lifecycle points. A range of focused family planning activities is proposed to address this demand. Recent fertility surveys in Africa reveal: 1) a striking majority (ranging from 70%-90%) of women want more children, even among those practicing modern contraception, and 2) modern contraceptive prevalence is still low for women most motivated to avert pregnancy. Whereas there is, as yet, little indication of change in conditions anticipated to shift the underlying demand for children, uncertainties attached to successful childraising due to risks of infertility, failure to thrive, disability, and divorce, strongly favor traditional forms of fertility regulation: avoidance of next pregnancy in reference to the last child's survival (rather than the actual number of surviving children), and rearrangement of the timing and tempo of childraising through fostering, are not equivalent to modern contraceptives in purpose or practice. World Fertility Survey (WFS) data for Africa collected between 1977 and 1982, show that 34%-90% of women have heard of a contraceptive method. As many as 62% have heard of only a traditional method. Particular demand for fertility control is identified for groups demonstrating interest in nontraditional forms of fertility regulation at specific life cycle points. More recent data, drawn from Contraceptive Prevalence Surveys in Botswana, Kenya, Somalia, and Zimbabwe, show a slight increase in women saying they want no more children, as well as the numbers of women having practiced modern contraception. A range of family planning (FP) activities is proposed to meet this demand: emphasis on the FP connection with educational opportunity, concentration on the urban sector, promotion of breastfeeding, emphasis on older women, emphasis on fighting venereal disease through public education, and continued research on the uses of traditional fertility regulation.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]