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This paper reports the development of a short scale (ten items) entitled 'Social Relationships to Prevent Obesity' (SRPO), which examines how social relationships support the continuous and conscious endeavour to lose weight. The construct and criterion validity of this scale were ascertained in this study. Factor structure and reliability were examined using data from a randomized controlled trial. A confirmatory factor analysis of the SRPO revealed three relevant factors. The results suggest that the SRPO has both validity and clinical utility and can thus be used as a screening tool in weight-loss interventions and to assess the degree of, and trends in, self-control for weight loss in individuals. The scale can also be used to examine the environmental and self-control problems faced by obese people--factors that should be considered when conducting weight-loss interventions.

This paper examines the experiences of women with infertility in two Nigerian communities with different systems of descent and historically different levels of infertility. First, the paper focuses on the life experiences of individual women across the two communities and second, it compares these experiences with those of their fertile counterparts, in each community. In doing this, women who are childless are distinguished from those with subfertility and compared with high-fertility women. The research is based on interdisciplinary research conducted among the Ijo and Yakurr people of southern Nigeria, which included a survey of approximately 100 childless and subfertile women and a matching sample of 100 fertile women as well as in-depth ethnographic interviews with childless and subfertile women in two communities: Amakiri in Delta State and Lopon in Cross River State. The findings indicate that while there are variations in the extent to which childlessness is considered to be problematic, the necessity for a woman to have a child remains basic in this region.

In this paper, longitudinal data from northern Ghana is used to assess the effects of encouragement to use family planning that men receive from their personal network partners on the adoption of modern contraception by their wives. The study tests a conceptual model that, in addition to the effect of men's network encouragement, incorporates the effect of encouragement to use family planning that women receive from their respective network partners and the effect of spousal communication on reproductive matters and approval of family planning. Results show that encouragement received by men from their social networks significantly increases the likelihood of subsequent contraceptive use by their wives but this effect operates primarily by galvanizing spousal communication on reproductive matters. The effect of encouragement received by women from their respective network partners is largely independent from the effect of male network encouragement but it influences contraceptive adoption both directly and through spousal communication.

This paper reports the results of a sample survey of ZPG members undertaken in April 1971 to ascertain if any changes had occurred in membership attributes since the first survey in September 1970 and to investigate additional characteristics. Age, education, religion and student/ non-student status are considered in relation to length of membership of ZPG. Income, political activities, intended family size and opinions about ideal population size and population control are also examined, including attitudes towards vasectomy and abortion.It is concluded that, among members of voluntary organizations, demographic factors such as age, education, religion and sex do not possess a causal relationship with social behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since 2001 a decentralization policy has increased the responsibility placed on local government for improving child health in Indonesia. This paper explores local government and community leaders’ perspectives on child health in a rural district in Indonesia, using a qualitative approach. Focus group discussions were held in May 2013. The issues probed relate to health personnel skills and motivation, service availability, the influence of traditional beliefs, and health care and gender inequity. The participants identify weak leadership, inefficient health management and inadequate child health budgets as important issues. The lack of health staff in rural areas is seen as the reason for promoting the use of traditional birth attendants. Midwifery graduates and village midwives are perceived as lacking motivation to work in rural areas. Some local traditions are seen as detrimental to child health. Husbands provide little support to their wives. These results highlight the need for a harmonization and alignment of the efforts of local government agencies and local community leaders to address child health care and gender inequity issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SummaryCurrent research and policies on reproductive behaviours in many East African countries focus primarily on proxy indicators of women?s autonomy, and very little emphasis is placed on direct indicators of women?s autonomy. In this paper, data from the 2002 Eritrea Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) are used to address some of the most frequently raised questions about the link between women?s autonomy and reproductive behaviour. The results from the multivariate logistic models show that although the relationship between women?s autonomy and reproductive preferences in Eritrea is complex, some clear, broad patterns exist that have implications for theory and policy. First, although the different dimensions of women?s autonomy influence the outcome variables differently in terms of magnitude and statistical significance, most of them have a strong connection; in particular, women?s final say in decisions regarding day-to-day household purchases and spousal communication are significant explanatory variables in fertility preferences and ever-use of modern contraception. Second, many background (proxy) variables, particularly household economic condition and employment, exert a strong and independent influence over fertility preferences and ever-use of contraception regardless of a woman?s autonomy. In their relationship to reproductive behaviours, therefore, employment and economic status cannot be considered as proxies for women?s autonomy in Eritrea. A complete explanation of the relationship between women?s autonomy and reproductive preferences must recognize the effects of both the background and direct autonomy indicators. Interventions are needed to improve women?s decision-making autonomy and strengthen their negotiating capacity on family planning if an increased desire to limit fertility is to be attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryAlthough studies have examined religious differences in fertility in sub-Saharan Africa, it is argued in this paper that using women-only sample data may be conceptually problematic in patriarchal African societies where the influence of husbands on their wives? reproductive preferences is paramount. The present study contributes to this discourse by examining the relationship between religion and fertility behaviour using matched-couple data from Ghana. Guided by the ?religious values? and ?characteristics? hypotheses, the results indicate significant religious differences in fertility. Compared with Traditionalists, Christians and Muslims have lower fertility, albeit these differences diminish significantly after controlling for socioeconomic variables. The impact of wife?s religious denomination on marital fertility is attenuated after controlling for husband?s religious affiliation. Also, fertility was found to be higher if couples belong to the same faith compared with those of different faiths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents time series data on spouse selection in Canada for the period 1921–78. Homogamous and endogamous trends are examined by age, sex and religion. There is considerable variation in the level of endogamy amongst religious groups. With respect to age, marriages were increasingly homogamous up to 1971 and thereafter less so. Younger males increasingly tended to select brides of their own age group until the 1960s, while older males have been increasingly heterogamous since World War II. Females under 20 years of age tend to select older grooms; other brides show no clear trend in their spouse selection by age. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Findings are reported on 100 couples who had requested donor insemination as a means of circumventing male infertility. Twelve couples dropped out, but the remainder were graded for personal acceptability. Forty-six couples were recommended with only minor reservations if any, 40 were seen as unsatisfactory in varying degree, and two were rejected owing to gross marital and sexual problems. In one couple, early marital breakdown after childbirth occurred.A strong sense of mutual commitment may be the norm in such couples but exchange of affection between partners, as measured by the Ryle marital patterns test, was less vivid than in an earlier study of childless couples waiting to adopt. The infertile husband may be in particular need of emotional support from his wife, and a careful appraisal of the marriage seems warranted before treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This examination of the effects of marital status on repeat abortion assesses, by multiple classification analysis, the importance of a set of predictors of repeat abortion (age, education, occupation, residence, religion, social support for the abortion, attitudes towards abortion, ambivalence to the abortion, source of idea of the abortion, referral source, contraceptive use) in a clinic sample of 984 single, married and divorced women. The different results for the three categories of women demonstrate the centrality of man–woman relations for an understanding of repeat abortion behaviour, and the need to orient future work on repeat abortion away from a predominant concern with contraception. Abortion can be understood only in terms of the cultural values and social practices which regulate different couple relations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a sample of 345 women aborting at a New York clinic, women having a repeat abortion had delayed significantly less in seeking abortion than had women aborting for the first time. Those having a repeat abortion were more likely to anticipate, suspect and acknowledge pregnancy, and to have located the abortion clinic more rapidly, once the decision to have an abortion was made. Psychological reactions to the decision did not differ between women having first and repeat abortions. The complex interactions of many of the factors involved in the decision-making process were examined by path analysis. Variables entering the path analysis explained 36·0 and 52·4% of the variance in delay for first and repeat abortions, respectively. The analyses suggest that women having repeat abortions come from at least three groups: (1) those whose contraceptive method failed because of technical failure; (2) those experiencing contraceptor failure due to social and personal interactions with the method not conducive to optimal contraceptive practice, and (3) those women who are not practising contraception and for whom repeated unwanted pregnancies may be a response to neurotic needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]