Natural family planning (NFP) refers to techniques for planning or preventing pregnancy by observation of natural signs of fertility. In using natural family planning to avoid pregnancy, there is abstinence from sexual intercourse during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. Social values which are incorporated into the method include couples…

Attitudes of black leaders and a general black population sample toward birth control and family planning issues were "Pro Birth Control" and "Genocide Fears." The leaders questioned held positions in twenty national black organizations, while the general population samples were taken from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and…

The values and processes which underlie people's birth planning decisions were studied via decision theory. Sixty-three married couples including 23 with no children, 33 with one child, and 27 with two children were presented with a large set of personal values related to birth planning decisions. Individuals rated the importance or utility of…

Gives examples of health care areas that are the responsibility of individuals and the community: water and sanitation, nutrition and food habits, and family planning. Stresses the role of adult education in changing people's attitudes toward their own health care. (CT)

About 1 in 12 couples in the United States face the "how to have" element of reproductive choices. Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART) involves manipulation of genetic material outside of the body. Infertile couples have a large range of options in the achievement of a conception and are easily overwhelmed. As new choices are offered…

A family planning clinic which was part of a large public maternity hospital in Salvador Bahia, Brazil received a grant to expand its services and to evaluate a service model focusing on client counseling and education. The counseling, education, and service provision process included individual pre-consultation with a nurse, group education and…

This publication reports the eleventh meeting in a series of regional seminars convened by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on the subject of fertility and family planning. The main objectives of the meeting were to: (1) identify the characteristics of regional integrated family planning programs; (2) identify…

Inconsistent use of contraceptives or discontinuance of family planning services places women at risk of unintended pregnancies. Dropping out of family planning clinics also could mean interrupting gynecological care. Nonetheless, approximately 20% of adolescent family planning patients and nearly 25% of adult patients do not return for a second…

Effective birth control is needed to combat adolescent pregnancy which is a major health and social problem, the adverse consequences of which have been well-documented along a variety of dimensions. A significant obstacle to the provision of birth control services to teenagers is the belief that such services will encourage adolescent coital…

In this speech, Robert McNamara examines the background of the world population problem, analyzes its current trends, evaluates the measures available to deal with it, and suggests actions governments and others can take to help solve it. It now appears that significant fertility decline may have begun in developing countries. Data seem to…

This paper offers three propositions on the roles of rationality and rationalization in the expression of preferences for family size. The propositions are generally based on the results of two successive interview surveys involving approximately 600 married, white women between the ages of 15 and 44. This number includes approximately equal…

This document reports on the development of a measurement model aimed at determining preference for sex and number of children in a family. These new scales reflect the utility for sex and number of children, disentangle their separate effects, and provide independent measures of each. They are sensitive to deviations from a first choice, and…

Recent trends in rates of sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and teen pregnancies have led to a new emphasis on male involvement in family planning programs. Little research data exists on specific opinions, attitudes and needs of young males regarding the array of services available. This paper describes: (1) how market research (including…

The overall effectiveness of national family planning programs in developing countries is most likely to be achieved in countries where a strong, stable political system has been the major vehicle in sustained efforts of modernization and development. In this context, a study of 30 non-Communist developing countries during 1960-1975 shows that a…

American attitudes toward foreign aid for population control have changed dramatically since the period following World War II, when birth control assistance was considered too controversial for government funding. With growing national and international concern about population growth and poverty in the developing nations and through the efforts…