ASIA-PACIFIC POPULATION JOURNAL

Thailand (Bangkok) 85

1994 - VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4

96.85.1 - English - W. Indralal DE SILVA Ahead of target: Achievement of replacement level fertility in Sri Lanka before the year 2000 (p. 3-22)

Compared with all other South Asian countries, Sri Lanka has had the highest rate of fertility decline; between 1960-1965 and 1985-1990, the total fertility rate declined by almost 50%. This article discusses the country's fertility control policies, programmes, targets and other factors related to its rapid fertility decline. It describes how the replacement level of fertility was reached in 1993 despite a lower than expected contraceptive prevalence rate. A significantly large proportion of women seem to be relying on induced abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies. It concludes by raising a number of questions for policy makers to address, especially the need to prepare for population changes in the next century brought about by low fertility. (SRI LANKA, FERTILITY DECLINE, BELOW REPLACEMENT FERTILITY, GOVERNMENT POLICY)

96.85.2 - English - Quanhe YANG Provincial patterns of contraceptive use in China (p. 23-42)

One of the important changes that has occurred in China as a result of the economic reforms begun in the late 1970s relates to the implementation of population policies. There has been a change from centrally enforced policy implementation in the late 1970s and early 1980s to a more decentralized approach with local family planning regulations being emphasized since the mid-1980s. This study focuses on the relationship between regional socioeconomic development, decentralized family planning programmes and the patters of contraceptive use in different provinces. It finds that the programme should focus on providing more method choices, giving more information to clients, strengthening the technical competence of service providers, improving interpersonal relations and appropriating constellation services. (CHINA, FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMMES, GOVERNMENT POLICY, DECENTRALIZATION)

96.85.3 - English - M. Mujibur RAHMAN, M. Nurul ISLAM, Md. Azizul HAQUE and G. M. KAMAL Problems and prospects of implants as a contraceptive method in Bangladesh (p. 43-58)

This study attempts to document the provision of Norplant in Bangladesh, particularly at seven centres located in various parts of the country. It brings out problems faced with the introduction of this contraceptive and the prospects for its further dissemination on a nationwide scale. It finds that the method is an acceptable one in Bangladesh. The study finds that, while clients are generally satisfied with the information and services they have received, there have been problems associated with the programme, particularly as they concern the removal of the implants. (BANGLADESH, NORPLANT, FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMMES, PROGRAMME EVALUATION)

MARCH 1995 - VOLUME 10, NUMBER 1

96.85.4 - English - Akbar AGHAJANIAN A new direction in population policy and family planning in the Islamic Republic of Iran (p. 3-20)

After an almost complete halt in family planning for about eight years, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran so strongly revitalized family planning that the programme has recently been suggested as a model for other Muslim countries to follow. This article traces the history of that programme and, using data from the 1977 Iran Fertility Survey and the 1992 National Survey of Contraceptive Prevalence, assesses the current situation. It finds that contraceptive use is increasing and the crude birth rate declining. Female age at first marriage is also rising, which contributes to fertility decline. (IRAN, FERTILITY DECLINE, GOVERNMENT POLICY)

96.85.5 - English - Mazharul ISLAM and Mamun MAHMUD Contraception among adolescents in Bangladesh (p. 21-38)

This article highlights various aspects relating to the contraceptive behaviour of married adolescents. Using data from the 1989 Bangladesh Fertility Survey, it finds that, although knowledge of contraceptive methods is almost universal among this group, there is a wide gap between knowledge and use as only 26.3% of adolescents have ever used any method. The reasons for this situation are discussed and the article draws out several implications for policy purposes, concluding with several recommendations for increasing contraceptive use among married adolescents. (BANGLADESH, ADOLESCENTS, KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACEPTIVES, CONTRACEPTIVE USAGE)

96.85.6 - English - Tauseef AHMED The population of persons with disabilities in Pakistan (p. 39-62)

This article fulfills one of the mandates of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 by focusing on the importance of the collection and analysis of data on persons with disabilities. It shows that, despite underreporting and misreporting, the available data allow some assumptions to be made about the situation with regard to disabilities in Pakistan. It makes several recommendations concerning disabilities in general and the improvement of data collection in particular. (PAKISTAN, PHYSICALLY DISABLED)

JUNE 1995 - VOLUME 10, NUMBER 2

96.85.7 - English - Shyam THAPA The Human Development Index: A portrait of the 75 districts in Nepal (p. 3-14)

This article reports on the ranking of Nepal's 75 districts by applying the "Human Development Index" (HDI) approach. The results indicate that a great disparity in human development exists among the districts. Following the international classification, only one district has a high level of human development and four districts have a medium level of human development. The vast majority, 70 districts, have a low level of human development. The analysis also shows that HDI is strongly related to various other dimensions of development. Human development and other dimensions of development have mutually reinforcing and synergistic effects. (NEPAL, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MEASUREMENT, REGIONS)

96.85.8 - English - Mahodadhi SHRESTHA, Caroline HURST, Gaston FARR, Ramesh AMATYA, Beverly TUCKER and James McMAHAM A comparative study of the TCu 380A versus TCu 200 IUDs in Nepal (p. 15-26)

The clinical performance of the Copper T 380A IUD (TCu 380A) and the Copper T 200 IUD (TCu 200) intrauterine devices (IUDs) was evaluated for 24 months in a group of volunteers who were randomly assigned to have one of the two types of IUD inserted. No pregnancies were reported among users of the TCu 380A IUD compared with two among users of the TCu 200 IUD at the end of 24 months. Among TCu 380A IUD users, there were significantly lower rates of IUD removal for personal reasons and they had a lower or equal incidence of side-effects such as intermenstrual bleeding or pain, inflammations or infections, or insertion-related events compared with the TCu 200 IUD group. (NEPAL, IUD, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

96.85.9 - English - Bhishna NANDA BAJRACHARYA Promoting small towns for rural development: A view from Nepal (p. 27-50)

The article investigates the nature of urban-rural relations between a small town in Nepal with two of its hinterland villages, examining three major rural-development functions of small towns. Some of the important factors constraining the performance of the small town's rural development functions were identified as small landholdings in the villages, low productive base of small town limited power/resources at the local level and lack of coordinated development activities between the town and villages. In the hill context of Nepal, the terrain itself is a constraint for physical, social and economic linkages between the town and the villages. In like manner, ethnicity and place of people are important factors in the access to services and off-farm jobs available in the town. The study concludes with a policy recommendation for integrated urban-rural area development in the hill region. (NEPAL, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, RURAL-URBAN RELATIONS)

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