PubMed · 12309295
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
N Keyfitz. 1972. On future population.. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1972.10482386
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
This study was carried out to quantify secular trends in seasonal variation in births in Malta, a small Mediterranean country where the vast proportion of births occur in wedlock due to a predominantly Roman Catholic population. It also related such variations to seasonal variation in marriages. Annual seasonal peaks of marriages and births were analysed over the period 1950-1996 by X11 ARIMA. A significant peak in marriages (n = 111,932) in the third quarter of the year was found for almost the entire period under study. This was paralleled by a peak in births (n = 299,558) for the period 1970-1996, which lagged after the peak in marriages by 13-14 months. For the period 1994-1996, when monthly data for monthly pregnancies were available by pregnancy order, the peak in births was caused by first pregnancies only. Seasonal patterns in births occur almost universally due to cultural and/or biometeorological factors. The best known patterns include those of the southern United States, where births decline in April and May, and in northern Europe, where births peak in March and April. In Malta, the late summer peak in births appears to be due to a practical and planned approach by Maltese couples to contraceptive planning, probably influenced by the Roman Catholic ethos and social pressures, with unprotected intercourse occurring only after marriage. In Malta, birth control, albeit by so-called natural methods, was introduced in the 1960s. Prior to this period, births peaked towards the beginning/end of the year, and this may be the more natural seasonality of births in Malta.
Persons born outside the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) comprised an estimated 11.1% (31.1 million) of the U.S. population in 2000, and approximately one fifth of all U.S. births in 2000 were to women in this population. Racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. health outcomes are of public health concern, and the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of the U.S. population poses challenges to the delivery of maternal and child health services. This report presents state-specific comparisons of live births in 1990 and 2000 to women born outside the 50 states and DC and compares maternal characteristics and live-birth outcomes for these women with those of state-born mothers (i.e., women born inside the 50 states and DC). The findings indicate that women born outside the 50 states and DC had better birth outcomes than their state-born racial/ethnic counterparts. However, a larger percentage of these women began prenatal care later and had other problems accessing health care, which might reflect economic, cultural, and language barriers. The U.S. public health system and maternal healthcare providers should understand and address the health needs of an increasingly diverse population.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.