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Causation underlies both research and policy interventions. Causal inference in demography is however far from easy, and few causal claims are probably sustainable in this field. This paper targets the assessment of causality in demographic research. It aims to give an overview of the methodology of causal research, pointing out various problems that can occur in practice. The "Intervention studies" section critically examines the so-called gold standard in causality assessment in experimental studies, randomized controlled trials, and the use of quasi-experiments and interventions in observational studies. The "Multivariate statistical models" section deals with multivariate statistical models linking a mortality or fertility indicator to a series of possible causes and controls. Single and multiple equation models are considered. The "Mechanisms and structural causal modelling" section takes into account a more recent trend, i.e., mechanistic explanations in causal research, and develops a structural causal modelling framework stemming from the pioneering work of the Cowles Commission in econometrics and of Sewall Wright in population genetics. The "Assessing causality in demographic research" section examines how causal analysis could be further applied in demographic studies, and a series of proposals are discussed for this purpose. The paper ends with a conclusion pointing out, in particular, the relevance of structural equation models, of triangulation, and of systematic reviews for causal assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND While it is widely known that maternal age at childbearing plays a role in the occurrence of Down syndrome, less is known about the effects of maternal age on other major congenital anomalies. Information on the possible effects of other maternal characteristics and of the age of the father is even scarcer. OBJECTIVE We present new results on the associations between parental ages and other maternal characteristics on the one hand, and congenital anomalies on the other, using linked data from three Czech registries on mothers, newborns, and malformations, for the period 2000-2007. METHODS As the variables are in a categorical format, binary logistic regression is used in order to investigate the relationship between the presence/absence of a congenital anomaly for each of the 11 types of anomalies considered, and for the set of predictors. RESULTS This research confirms that the age of the mother has an impact on the incidence of Down syndrome and other chromosomal anomalies. Paternal age is not associated with chromosomal anomalies, and, in this Czech population, has a rather slight effect on some of the congenital anomalies examined. Another finding of the present study is that various other maternal characteristics may affect the incidence of congenital malformations. CONCLUSIONS Based on a large dataset, this study concludes that the ages of both parents can be associated with congenital anomalies of the child, and that maternal characteristics other than age have also to be considered. COMMENTS Risk factors can be tentatively proposed if they are based on a plausible and suitably tested explanatory mechanism. Unfortunately, in the majority of individual cases of congenital anomaly, the cause of the condition is unknown, and is suspected to result from an interaction of multiple environmental and genetic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal mortality in Kinshasa is high despite near universal availability of antenatal care and hospital delivery. Possible explanations are poor-quality care and by delays in the uptake of care. There is, however, little information on the circumstances surrounding maternal deaths. This study describes and compares the circumstances of survivors and non survivors of severe obstetric complications. Method: Semi structured interviews with 208 women who survived their obstetric complication and with the families of 110 women who died were conducted at home by three experienced nurses under the supervision of EK. All the cases were identified from twelve referral hospitals in Kinshasa after admission for a serious acute obstetric complication. Transcriptions of interviews were analysed with N-Vivo 2.0 and some categories were exported to SPSS 14.0 for further quantitative analysis. Results: Testimonies showed that despite attendance at antenatal care, some women were not aware of or minimized danger signs and did not seek appropriate care. Cost was a problem; 5 deceased and 4 surviving women tried to avoid an expensive caesarean section by delivering in a health centre, although they knew the risk. The majority of surviving mothers (for whom the length of stay was known) had the caesarean section on the day of admission while only about a third of those who died did so. Ten women died before the required caesarean section or blood transfusion could take place because they did not bring the money in time. Negligence and lack of staff competence contributed to the poor quality of care. Interviews revealed that patients and their families were aware of the problem, but often powerless to do anything about it. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that women with serious obstetric complications have a greater chance of survival in Kinshasa if they have cash, go directly to a functioning referral hospital and have some leverage when dealing with health care staff [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The author discusses the changes in the editorial staff of the "European Journal of Population," including the departure of Hill Kulu as co-editor and the selection of Dimiter Philipov as his replacement.