1. Breast Feeding, Mortality in Childhood and Fertility in a Rural Zone of Senegal.
- Author
-
Cantrelle, P. and Leridon, H.
- Subjects
BREASTFEEDING ,CHILD mortality ,HUMAN fertility ,RURAL population ,DEMOGRAPHIC surveys ,BIRTH intervals - Abstract
A demographic survey was undertaken at repeated intervals in the Sine-Saloum region of Senegal between the end of 1962 and the beginning of 1968. The data analyzed in this paper relate to duration of breast feeding, mortality in childhood, 0-5 years, and relations among these two variables and fertility, birth intervals being taken as indicators. Mortality between ages 1 and 3 appears surprisingly high. The seasonal peak in the September-November quarter influences the shape of the curve representing the series of mortality probabilities, and is partly responsible for this abnormally high figure. Breast-feeding is prolonged: 24 months on the average, ranging to 36 months, and has a direct and strong effect on fertility. Weaning, especially when occurring during a new pregnancy, exposes the weaned child to a higher risk of mortality for a few months. The influence of mortality on fertility is as important as that of weaning, and acts through weaning. An attempt to estimate fecundability by two different methods yields a value higher than 0.18.
- Published
- 1971
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