Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T02:53:57.407Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Breast-feeding and fertility among Philippine women: trends, mechanisms and impact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2011

Zelda C. Zablan
Affiliation:
Population Institute, University of the Philippines, Manila

Extract

In pre-transitional societies, contraceptive practice is usually low or absent and prolonged breast-feeding has been identified as the major factor in keeping marital fertility levels below the biological maximum (Bongaarts, 1978), so that the length of birth intervals is the strongest determinant of completed family size.

In transitional societies there is accumulating evidence that, with increasing modernization, the percentage of women who initiate breast-feeding and the duration of breast-feeding are declining (Jelliffe & Jelliffe, 1972; McCann et al., 1981; Rosa, 1976). Shorter durations of breast-feeding are observed for women who are more educated, belong to the upper socioeconomic class and live in urban areas (Jain & Sun, 1972; Lesthaeghe & Page, 1980).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bongaarts, J. (1978) A framework for analyzing the proximate determinants of fertility. Popul. Dev. Rev. 4, 105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1981) The fertility impact of traditional and changing child-spacing practices in tropical Africa. In: Child-Spacing in Tropical Africa: Tradition and Change. Edited by Page, H. J. and Lesthaeghe, R.. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Ferry, B. (1981). Comparative Studies in Breastfeeding. No. 13. International Statistics Institute, London.Google Scholar
Jain, A. & Sun, T.H. (1972) Interrelationship between socio-demographic factors, lactation and postpartum amenorrhea. Demography of India, 1, 3.Google Scholar
Jelliffe, D. & Jelliffe, E. (1972) Lactation, conception and nutrition of the nursing mother and child. J. trop. Paediat. 81, 829.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laing, J.E. (1976) Revised Lactation and Amenorrhea Data from the 1974 National Acceptor Survey. Research Note 96, Population Institute, University of the Philippines.Google Scholar
Lesthaeghe, R. & Page, H. (1980) The post-partum non-susceptible period: development and application of model schedules. Popul. Stud. 34, 143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mccann, M.F., Liskin, L.S., Piotrow, P.T., Rinehart, W. & Fox, G. (1981) Breastfeeding, Fertility and Family Planning. Population Reports, Series J, No. 24. Population Information Program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.Google ScholarPubMed
Mosley, W.H., Osteria, T. & Huffman, S.L. (1977) Interaction of contraception and breast-feeding in developing countries. J. biosoc. Sci. Suppl. 4, 93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raymundo, C.M. (1979) The Risk Factors Affecting Filipino Mother's Decision to Breastfeed. Dissertation, Harvard School of Public Health.Google Scholar
Rosa, F. (1976) A motive for family planning. People. 3. 10.Google ScholarPubMed
Zablan, Z.C. (1981) Breastfeeding and Fertility among Philippine Women: An Investigation of the Socio-biological Mechanisms of their Relationship. Doctoral dissertation, Université de Paris I (Sorbonne).Google Scholar
Zablan, Z.C. (1983) The Proximate Determinants of Fertility and Their Effect on Fertility Patterns in the Philippines. World Fertility Survey Technical Report 2084. International Statistics Institute, London.Google Scholar