In a retrospective study, the impact of breast-feeding on the survival probabilities of children born to women in hospitals in Cairo, Egypt, is estimated. The analysis shows that early cessation of breastfeeding is associated with higher mortality and the effects are more severe the lower the education level of the mother.

Information on the activities, practices and social context of pregnancy and delivery care provided by traditional birth attendants (TBA) is a critical requirement in planning, monitoring and evaluating maternal health programs in many countries. As a result of experimental studies in which such information was obtained by a variety of methods, and a review of alternative methodologies, a set of guidelines has been developed for the collection of such information. High-lighted are the need for good background knowledge on the local situation, involving TBAs themselves in design and collecting methods, a system of supervision to ensure adequate training and careful monitoring, and finally sharing the findings with the TBAs as well as with health officials.

No abstract

This paper examines the accessibility of post-partum sterilization at five hospitals in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Of the women who planned sterilization 60% were sterilized. Services were not equally available to all women. While caesarean sections accounted for an extremely high percentage of deliveries at these hospitals, this type of delivery, and concurrent sterilizations, are not equally available to all women who indicated a desire to be sterilized. Since poor women are less likely to have caesarean deliveries, their access to sterilization is limited.