Suchergebnisse

Draws on historical data for northwestern Portugal to explore links between child survival & family circumstances during the 19th & early 20th centuries. A review of past health statistics reveals the importance of familial circumstances. Survival rates are analyzed across 10-year cohorts, 1830-1959, for children born to married couples & unwed mothers or abandoned in foundling homes. It is shown that children born to unwed mothers more often died in the first year of life than those born to married couples. However, children born to unwed mothers who kept them had higher survival rates than those left at institutions. Findings are consistent with those from studies of historical populations in other parts of Europe. Examination of the impact of socioeconomic conditions not only highlights the greater health problems associated with poverty, but suggests that marginal children are more likely to receive inferior care because they are considered dispensable. Issues of sex selection are discussed, along with implications for child survival in contemporary societies. 5 Tables, 68 References. J. Lindroth

Instances in which demographics can be used to justify constraints against freedom are studied, highlighting the relationship between freedom & mortality & fertility. It is contended that the threat of moral embarrassment has prevented demographers from considering the assertion that mortality should be increased under certain demographic situations. Questions of individual freedom to practice contraception, women's ability to utilize induced abortions to control fertility, & parents' authority to select the gender of their children are addressed. Although incentives to control childbearing are viewed as noncoercive, it is stated that disincentives are problematic for indigent individuals & families. Implications of demographers' participation in the debate concerning the coercion of women's fertility freedoms are considered. 25 References. J. W. Parker

Discusses efforts being made in the Tamil Nadu region of South India to "screen out" girls. Since 1991, the area has exhibited an adverse sex ratio that has been linked to the caste system, economic levels, cultural practices, & family size. Scholarly arguments about adverse sex ratios in Asian republics are summarized, & distinctions are made between "development" in terms of material wealth, & "development" focused on human well-being. Patterns of excess female child mortality in Tamilnadu are described as a product of multiple factors, including female infanticide; failure to provide enough food; sex-selective health practices/care; & the patrilineal kinship system. Ironically, the system of kinship & landed property that treats females as objects of exchange causes greater female child mortality among the wealthy than the poor. Ways in which material development interacts with cultural beliefs/practices to strengthen misogynist perspectives are examined. Government responses to the problem are described as generally misplaced & ineffectual, while voluntary organization efforts have been too limited to have an impact. 3 Tables, 2 maps, 41 References. J. Lindroth

It is contended that inner-city African Americans are the victims of genocidal practices rather than political oppression. Overviews of the dimensions of genocide, the notion of indirect genocide, the concept of self-destruction, & the belief that genocide is predictable & intentional are presented. Data collected in the 1981 & 1991 Mortality Detail data sets from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention were analyzed to determine differences between white & black American death rates. Findings revealed a proportional deficit of more than 1 million deaths for white American males & females & an excess of almost 125,000 deaths for black American males & females. In addition, the results showed that black Americans were more than 25 times more likely to die from homicide than white Americans. Additional research concerning the extent of poverty, social deprivation, poor health, economic marginality, incarceration, & loss of personal security among African Americans in urban regions is discussed to further illustrate the genocidal conditions experienced by African Americans. It is concluded that American society must protect marginalized groups from becoming victims of genocide. 3 Tables, 98 References. J. W. Parker

(Originally published in American Ethnologist, 19, 3, 523-537.) An exploration of the implications of a gender preference for girls in Jamaica focuses on child care practices, including child abandonment, drawing on 1987-1989 research in a low-income Kingston neighborhood, comprising census & reproductive history information; interview data from 50 women; anthropometric assessment of 211 primary school students; analysis of 114 case reports of abandoned children; & morbidity survey data on 40 children. The position of Jamaican women as mothers, heads of household, & primary economic providers is discussed in relation to gender preferences. Analyses reveal a pattern of gender preference for girls that was exacerbated by a deteriorating economic situation. It is suggested that higher mortality & morbidity rates among boys born to low-income women may have been due to cultural values favoring girls, & negative attitudes exhibited by mothers toward their male offspring could influence health status. Economic stress is found to be the dominant factor involved in abandonment, although moral/psychological defects on the part of the mother were also cited, especially in situations where the child was not left with responsible people. Six individual cases are related to illustrate various conditions of abandonment. 6 Tables, 52 References. J. Lindroth

Explores meanings of the folk pediatric syndrome called "the Rogue" by women in the Northern Cape of South Africa, arguing that hunger is the fundamental cause of most child illnesses. Data are from 1991 ethnographic interviews with 18 women living in separate shacks on John Mampe Square, an impoverished area in the township of Galeshewe. Life conditions are described, along with varied meanings of the Rogue, noting that it refers to children who succumb too quickly to malnutrition, as well as to migrant fathers whose absence is mirrored in the debilitated condition of their offspring. Relationships between women & the local child health clinic are discussed, along with the women's acceptance of gender/power relations that have entrapped them in poverty. "Bad" breast milk & how food shortages force mothers to decide which child to feed are discussed, noting that the weakest children are usually those who do without. It is contended that "hunger" should be substituted for terms such as malnutrition or marasmus in studies of the causes of disease among the poor. 1 Table, 68 References. J. Lindroth

Population size & structure, fertility, mortality, & migration affect security. Eventually, the populations in the developing world with rapid population growth will contrast starkly with those in advanced countries with lower fertility & an aging demographic. Population growth can drive political violence & threats to security due to resource scarcity, unemployment, migration, & lack of access to power. The UN & other agencies are dealing with the rapid population growth that has an affect on sustainable development & international stability with programs to reduce fertility levels through family planning. Policy responses to the HIV-AIDs epidemic, refugee movement, & population aging are discussed. Since demographic factors, especially migration, indirectly contribute to security, but are not amenable to military solutions, they need to be addressed in a security agenda. M. Pflum

The impacts of immigration & racial intermarriage on the future racial & ethnic composition of the US are investigated, using a modified cohort-component model to develop population projections based on data from the 2000 US Census for a base population of 5 race-ethnic groups: American Indians, Asians & Pacific Islanders, blacks, Hispanics, & whites. The projection model provides population estimates for each group by age & sex for the period 2000-2100. Projections on immigration, emigration, intermarriage, fertility, & mortality are analyzed, & assumptions regarding each dimension are specified. It is cautioned that such population projections, even though they improve on current models by rejecting assumptions of endogamy, are suitable for neither predictive nor prospective analysis. 8 Tables, 49 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

The effects of ethnic intermarriage & immigration on the US's future racial & ethnic composition are studied. The US Census Bureau's 1997 population estimation & additional data sources measuring ethnic identification & exogamy are employed to predict the US's future racial & ethnic composition throughout the first half of the 21st century. In addition, the 1996 national population projections are utilized to estimate fertility, mortality, & international migration trends for the five primary racial categories in the US, 1995-2050. Findings indicate that the Latino & Asian population will almost quadruple by 2050; additional projections for the other three racial categories illustrate less significant increases. It is emphasized that the accuracy of such predictions is contingent on how the number of individuals with multiracial ancestries identify themselves. In light of the problems posed by increased intermarriage rates, it is concluded that the validity of current models for projecting racial populations has been seriously challenged. 10 Tables, 29 References. J. W. Parker

Examines the impact on women's/children's health of recent economic crises in the Dominican Republic & Cuba, drawing on demographic, economic, epidemiological, & anthropological data, as well as firsthand observations, 1986-1992, & key informant interviews. It is shown that rising costs for food & medical care resulting from international lending & trade policies are associated with increases in malnutrition, infectious disease, & maternal mortality. It is contended that the general decline in health status of women & children indicates a reversal of significant improvements made since the 1980s in both countries, especially the Dominican Republic. In addition, dissimilar causes, costs, & consequences of economic restructuring in both countries reflect their historical, political, & ideological differences. The Cuban government struggled to keep its capital in community-based primary health care & preventive medicine, while rural & primary health care were denied support by the Dominican Republic government, which directed its limited resources to urban hospitals. Difficulties involved in obtaining statistics from Cuba are discussed. 1 Table, 46 References. J. Lindroth

Offers an overview of the literature on the physical & mental health of immigrants in Canada, focusing on Toronto, Ontario. Statistical data are presented comparing the vital statistics (mortality & life expectancy) & functional disability levels of native Canadians vs European & non-European immigrant groups; further adjustments are made for gender, age, income, & education. A "healthy immigrant effect" is noted, particularly among non-European immigrants, though this effect diminishes with time in Canada; this is attributed to changes in health behavior, eg, taking up smoking. Difficulties in measuring the impact of acculturation on health are considered, but several detrimental health effects of settlement stress for immigrants are verified, offering the case of tuberculosis. The impacts of various social stressors affecting immigrants & refugees, eg, discrimination, on mental health are also explored. Variations in immigrant health are investigated in terms of several protective factors, particularly the ethnic community, extended family, upward mobility, & personal/cultural coping resources. Disadvantages confronting immigrants/refugees seeking health care services are also noted. 4 Tables, 2 Figures. K. Hyatt Stewart

Nontraditional forms of civil society in the US are discussed using the example of Mormon morality, exchange, & gift-giving. In the Western tradition, civil society has been historically defined as a contractual relationship between the private realm & the state mediated by the ideologies of capitalism & individualism. However, it is argued that noncapitalist & nonindividualistic forms of civil society exist both within & outside of the West. Mormon moral doctrines regarding family life & gift-giving deny self-interest, thereby creating a form of civil society that deviates from the traditional Western model. Through work, Mormons are made part of the community, & both work & community are regarded as virtues. Therefore, civil society is grounded in virtue & mortality, rather than monetary exchange. This undermines the capitalist state's primary form of interaction with its citizens (through money) & creates social distance between the state & the Mormon community. It is concluded that civil society need not be built on the premises of capitalism & individualism. 16 References. T. Sevier