Lichen striatus: simultaneous occurrence in two nonrelated siblings.

Lichen striatus is an uncommon, self-limited eruption of unknown etiology. What role genetic or environmental influences play in its pathogenesis is unclear. We report two nonrelated, adopted children living in the same household who simultaneously developed lichen striatus.

[Population growth and the environment]. / Crescimento demografico e meio ambiente.

PIP: The impact of population growth on the enviornment has been extensively researched; it consists of the depletion of resources (agricultural land absorbed by urban expansion, loss of soils, desertification, loss of biodiversity, less availability of minerals, dwindling of petroleum reserves) and the degradation of natural resources (air and water pollution). For politicians, journalists, and environmentalists, population growth is identified as the principal villain, which is a unidirectional and negative opinion. Demography is supposed to examine the negative and positive effects of the environment-population relationship; however, it is postulated that there has not been much produced in the last 2 centuries in this area. Examination of the research literature does not indicate any view that transcends the Malthusian vision, although a few empirical studies exist (Hogan, 1989). Durham (1979) identified the replacement of subsistence agriculture by export-oriented agriculture as the key factor in overpopulation in El Salvador and Honduras that led to migrations and international conflicts. Tudela (1987) related a similar process in the Mexican state of Tabasco, where a period of malnutrition was accompanied by the expansion of export agriculture and nutritional improvements emanated only from recapturing subsistence agriculture. Fearnside (1986) researched the dynamics of the occupation and destruction of Amazonia. However, Kahn and Simon went further and denied the existence of real environmental problems: population is the ultimate resource, and the more minds, the more good ideas and solutions for any problem. However, in all these cases of pure or modified Malthusianism the relation of population/resources is reduced to a unidimensional relationship; and fertility, mortality, migration, marriage, and age structure receive little attention. A prime candidate for the attention of population specialists should be migration and patterns of settlement and their relationships to the physical environment, aspects of the depletion and degradation of resources as well as socially useful alterations.^ieng

Women's status and infant mortality in rural Colombia.

This paper investigates the effects of maternal demographic characteristics and social and economic statuses on infant mortality in rural Colombia. Demographic characteristics include the age of the mother, parity and length of preceding interbirth interval, and sex of infant. Measures of women's status at the time of birth include education, wage labor and occupation, economic stratum, place of residence, and whether the mother is living with a husband. The life history data for the study (involving 4,928 births) were collected in 1986 from a representative sample of two cohorts of women resident in rural central Colombia. Overall differentials in infant mortality by measures of women's status are small and are in good part associated with the differing reproductive behaviors of the women and variations in breastfeeding practices. The sharp declines in infant mortality recorded in rural Colombia in recent years appear less related to improved status of women than to reductions in fertility that enhance infant survivorship and to public health interventions shared by all segments of the population.

PIP: As part of the demographic transition that has been unfolding in Colombia over the last 5 decades, both urban and rural areas have experienced substantial declines in infant mortality. This decline is generally attributed to extensive countrywide health campaigns during the 1950s and 60s aimed at the prevention of disease, government-supported child immunization campaigns during the 1970s and 80s, and improvements in the population's educational level. To investigate the dynamics behind the sharp decline in infant mortality, life history data were collected in 1986 from a representative sample of 2 cohorts of women living in rural central Colombia. 4928 births were available for analysis. The cohorts included women born in 1937-46, who were of reproductive age in the early 1960s when fertility began its decline, or 1955-61, who entered their reproductive period in the 1980s after the sharp decline in fertility. Measures of women's status and demographic characteristics at the time of each birth were reconstructed for the analysis. A total of 207 children born to the study subjects died before their 1st birthday, yielding a 0.042 probability of infant death. Substantial declines in this probability were observed over time, with 0.072 of infants born before 1960 dying compared to 0.050 of those born in 1960-72 and 0.033 of infants born after 1972. Logit model analysis of the life history data indicated that changes in the status of women, including educational attainment, have had only a slight impact on the sharp declines in infant mortality in rural Colombia. More important have been reductions in fertility that have cut the number of high parity and closely spaced births and the prevalence of breastfeeding among rural mothers.

Giving between generations in American families.

This paper documents the types and amounts of aid exchanged between adults and their non-coresidential parents. Data for the study are drawn from a representative national sample survey of Americans age 19 and older conducted in 1987-1988. Exchanges of monetary and material resources, childcare, household assistance, and companionship and advice are considered.Patterns of intergenerational exchange are found to differ by gender, family structure, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic situation. Differences in exchange between males and females and between whites and Mexican-Americans are related to other life-course characteristics, and to the availability and proximity of kin. Blacks and persons living in poverty are shown to be less involved than other groups in intergenerational exchanges. Finally, patterns of prior assistance and the available needs and resources of the respondents and their parents are found to influence current patterns of exchange.

[Demography and the business cycle: methodological reflections]. / Demografia e conjuntura: reflexoes metodologicas

PIP: Some methodological problems concerning the analysis of the demographic consequences of the recent economic crisis in Brazil are examined. Consideration is given both to the limitations of existing analytical techniques and to the availability of data. The need to take into account both short- and long-term population dynamics is noted. (summary in ENG)^ieng

Community availability of contraceptives and family limitation.

This study examines the impact of contraceptive service availability on contraceptive use in Korea, Mexico, and Bangladesh. Using World Fertility Survey Data on once-married females and their communities of residence, the multivariate analysis finds that the community level of contraceptive availability directly affects the likelihood of current use, net of the effects of community development, education, parity, and marital duration. The results are supportive of the recent policy emphasis on maximizing the geographic availability of contraceptive services.

A components method for measuring the impact of a family planning program on birth rates.

One of the major goals of family planning programs worldwide has been to reduce the level of fertility in hopes of slowing the rate of natural increase and promoting social and economic development. Such programs have now been in existence for sufficient lengths of time to have had an impact on fertility levels. In general countries with organized family planning programs, marked declines in fertility levels have been observed. The extent to which such declines may be credited to organized programs has not been rigorously measured because an appropriate research methodology has been lacking. This paper describes one method of directly linking declines in fertility levels to the contraceptive protection experienced by a population. The contribution of organized family planning programs is estimated by decomposing the amount of total contraceptive protection into within-program and outside-program sources.